SNP HIT OUT AT RIDICULOUS STATEMENT MADE BY PM ON POST OFFICES

SNP Spokesperson on Trade and Industry, Mike Weir MP, has today (Monday) hit out at the Prime Minister's statement calling for an end to the postal strikes and that the Government "has invested a huge amount of money in the postal industry."

Mr Weir said:

"Clearly he's had the election so much on his mind he's failed to notice the catastrophe facing Post Offices in Scotland.  We're at the beginning of the process that will see hundreds of vital Post Offices closed as a direct result of the policies of his Government.

"The removal of services from Post Offices by this Labour Government has undermined this once proud national system. We have seen a ridicoulous merry-go-round of public money with one department removing services to save money and another pumping in money to try and fend off total collapse. Rather than putting money in to help the Post Office, this unholy tangle is leading to their demise. Later this month the first area plan is to be produced for Glasgow Central and Argyll, and later plans in the early part of next year will cover the rest of Scotland.

"Scottish communtiies must be prepared to argue for the retention of their Post Office in the face of this obvious uncaring attitude of the Prime Minister. Although the current postal strike action is undoubtedly damaging to many Scottish businesses, the real problem for Post Offices is not the current strike action by Post Office workers who are understandably fed up that their efforts to take part in the modernisation of the business have been sabotaged by Government policy."