An Post is currently undertaking a census on all employees regarding the number of employees with a
disability. The survey has already been distributed by the Company with the full support of the CWU.

An Post has a number of legal responsibilities under the Disability Act 2005 one of which is to report the
number and percentage of employees with disabilities.  An Post, as a commercial Semi-State organisation, has a disability employment target of 3% of its total employee population in order to comply with the 2005 Act.

Within the Disability Act there is a statutory timescale on An Post to complete their reports and send them to the relevant Monitoring Committee by the 31st March 2008. The census form being used by the Company has been developed with the assistance of the National Disability Authority. The information provided on the form will be used solely by the Company for the purpose of providing the report to the Monitoring Committee. The information will not be used for any other purpose.

Employees are asked to include their names in order to facilitate the regular updating of the number of
employees with a disability through tracking inward and outward staff movements without the need to conduct an annual census of all staff.

There is no legal obligation on staff to complete the census form. However, An Post is legally obliged to
determine, in some form, the disability status of their employees. The form and question used is the
recommended method, designed by the National Disability Authority, to facilitate public bodies to meet their statutory obligation to report on compliance with the 3% target.

The information which you will provide will be kept strictly confidential and stored securely within the
Occupational Health Service Department and only trained staff, authorised for this purpose, will have access to the information. The NDA has provided a number of questions and answers and these can be accessed on the CWU website, www.cwu.ie. 

The Union is requesting the co-operation of members in this initiative as it will assist the Union both in
retaining people in employment who attain disabilities in the course of their work as well as identifying
opportunities for the employment of people with disabilities.