Workers get 250,000 each after ESB plant closes

DOZENS of workers received €250,000 yesterday when the ESB power station at Rhode, Co Offaly, closed.

Around 65 workers received the pay-out after voting in favour of a redundancy package last March. There were no forced redundancies and another 40 staff opted to take up other jobs within the company.

An ESB spokeswoman said it took almost two months to vacate the plant and demolition work will now begin.

Earlier this year Rhode workers rejected a €20m closure package but a majority accepted it in a second vote. The controversial package was ecommended by the ESB’s industrial council and workers would have lost up to €50,000 if they voted against the deal.

No electricity was produced at Rhode since May 2001 after a worker was injured in an explosion.

Staff were also concerned about asbestos damage around this time. The entire staff at Rhode worked every day since the accident and the ESB paid a €6.2m wage bill during the last two years.

The ESB is building two new peat-burning plants at Shannonbridge, Co Offaly, and Lanesborough, Co Longford. Some of the Rhode workers will be redeployed to these plants and others will be retrained.

Earlier this month, workers at the ESB peat generating plant in Caherciveen, Co Kerry, agreed to accept a closure package.

If the company decides to close three other peat plants around the country it could cost more than €10m.

Meanwhile, The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has said statutory redundancy payments are to be tax exempt. All payments made under the Redundancy Payments Act, 2003, which came into force last Sunday, will remain tax-free.