Secret move to transport State exam papers

POSTAL STRIKE:SECRET, NOCTURNAL operations were employed to deliver some Intermediate and Leaving Certificate examination papers to schools during the postal strike of 1979, State papers from the year show.

The documents also show the Department of Education believed telephones used to make arrangements to organise the examinations – in defiance of picketing workers – were being sabotaged and tapped.

The postal strike of 1979 began in February when 13,000 post office workers withdrew their labour in a dispute over pay. The strike lasted 17 weeks and caused disruption to postal deliveries, operation of post offices and payment of social welfare allowances.

In March, then minister for health and social welfare Charles Haughey gave a televised address to explain to 326,000 social welfare recipients how they could get their payments without payment books. These could not be delivered because of the dispute.

“This is an emergency situation, but there is absolutely no reason why we should not, by working together . . . completely overcome the difficulty,” he said.

In May, 25 postal workers were arrested after a clash with gardaí when they placed a picket on a CIÉ “Fast-track” delivery service in Sheriff Street, Dublin. Businesses around the country struggled as bills were left unpaid because of the lack of postal delivery services.

Moreover, the Department of Education was concerned about the State examinations.

The Post Office Workers’ Union had placed pickets on the department’s office in Cornamaddy, Athlone, Co Westmeath, from where examination papers were issued to schools.

In an unsigned memo from the department in May, among files from the Department of the Taoiseach, the author notes CIÉ trucks normally delivered the papers to schools. But the drivers had refused to pass the picket placed on the office.

A first batch of papers, for the Group Certificate, was removed from Athlone by senior officers at the department in their own cars at 1am on April 30th.

“These officers left under strong Garda escort after a siege lasting some 10 hours,” the memo noted. A further 20 bags of papers were removed in a “nocturnal and secret operation”.

Three senior officers drove an unmarked van to the office at 3am, loaded the papers and vacated “just as two car loads of additional pickets arrived”. The memo anticipated a major disruption in June when the main bulk of papers were due to be distributed.

Much of the organisation of the exams was being carried out over the phone because of the postal strike, the memo indicated, but attempts were made to sabotage the telephone system to the examinations office.

Exchange lines were out of order and when subsequently repaired, quickly became out of order again, the memo noted. “Calls are cut off shortly after the caller begins to speak and there is evidence phones are being tapped.”

The question of seeking an injunction to prevent picketing of the office had been discussed with the attorney general. But it was considered that would lead to confrontation similar to what happened in Sheriff Street.

“The department is anxious to avoid such a confrontation if at all possible because the resultant publicity might give rise to doubt as to whether the examinations will be held” and “it might antagonise teaching unions”.

In the event, an injunction was not sought and the department used Army trucks to transport the bulk of examination papers out of the office. Examinations went ahead as scheduled.

The postal strike ended on June 26th. Workers settled for a modest wage increase, a fraction of their original claim.

Plans for the break-up of the postal and telecommunications service were published on July 3rd. The services became two separate State companies, An Post and Telecom Éireann.