WIll machines kill jobs at Isle of Man Post Office?

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POST Office chiefs say that it is too early to comment on whether the introduction of self-service machines could lead to job losses.
Two self-service kiosks that will enable customers to post letters and packets and pay bills will be on trial from next month in its main post office in Regent Street in Douglas.

A spokesman for Post Office management, which is already locked in a pay dispute with the Communication Workers' Union over a pay freeze, said: 'The introduction of the kiosks is not around economies on staffing but customer service.

'It's way too early to speculate what impact the kiosks would have on staffing levels, if any.'

The machines were installed on Friday and will be undergoing on-site testing before they go live in August.

It comes after a survey carried out last year found that customers wanted to see a reduction in queuing times, quicker transactions and self-service weighing positions.

The spokesman said: 'We believe the kiosks will be welcomed by customers as they are a modern way of transacting business in the retail environment.

'If our customers tell us they like the option of using self-service machines, it will give us the opportunity to consider providing services in a new range of locations and different times in the future.'

Isle of Man Post Office general manager retail network Marty Quine said: 'Queuing times have always been a significant issue especially at peak times and the introduction of these kiosks will provide customers with a quick and efficient service and will see transactions completed within a matter of seconds.'

An average of 1,300 customers use the counter facilities at Regent Street Post Office per day.

The Communication Workers' Union had threatened that its members – about 300 out of a total workforce of 452 – could strike unless a deal to overcome the dispute over a pay freeze was reached.

The Post Office, a statutory authority, was hit by the government's public sector pay freeze which came into effect this year.