The futures of 400 post offices around the country could be under threat, if the Department of Social Protection goes ahead with a plan to distribute social welfare payments electronically.

That is the view of the Irish Postmasters Union, which is holding its annual conference in Killiney in Dublin today.

General Secretary of the IPU, Brian McGann, said a tender will soon be issued by the Department to move to electronic payments, thus bypassing the Post Office network which depends on transactions for their survival.