Union threatens action over treatment of ESB deputy

Union bosses at ESB tonight vowed to take extreme action over what it claimed was second class treatment of deputy chairman Joe LaCumbre.

The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union claimed Mr LaCumbre – an ESB worker director and a member of the TEEU – was being forced from the board over his outspoken views on pensions and staff benefits.

Shop Stewards warned they would take whatever action was needed to fight moves by chairman Tadhg O’Donoghue to push for Mr LaCumbre’s resignation.

Davy Naughton, TEEU national secretary, said network technicians at the company were unanimously in favour of drastic action.

“If, at the highest level in the company, a worker director elected by all of the staff can be coerced or forced out of the position as deputy chair by the chairperson, because they expressed a view that the Chairman does not agree with, then little progress has been made in the last 10 years,” Mr Naughton said.

“The network technicians are resolved that, in order to protect their duly elected representatives on the board from such coercion, they are prepared to take whatever action is required.”

Staff working on ESB networks joined the fight to keep Mr LaCumbre on the board and it is understood shop stewards representing power station workers will take a similar stance when they meet later this week.

Mr Naughton said it had been hoped workers’ rights would have improved over the last decade.

He pointed to a 1992 survey which showed 72% of staff feared for their careers if they spoke out against management decisions.

“If, at the highest level in the company, a worker director elected by all of the staff can be coerced or forced out of the position as deputy chair by the chairperson, because they expressed a view that the chairman does not agree with, then little progress has been made in the last 10 years,” Mr Naughton said.

“The Network Technicians are resolved that, in order to protect their duly elected representatives on the board from such coercion, they and are prepared to take whatever action is required.”