ESB union anger over company break up

UNIONS representing the majority of the 8,000 workers at ESB have said they are prepared to go ‘as far as it takes’ to stop the Government breaking up the electricity company.

The six unions which represent the majority of workers met yesterday to discuss the Government’s White paper on ‘Delivering a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland’ and unanimously adopted a resolution that the proposals it contains will be resisted by staff by whatever action they deem necessary.

The transfer of the electricity transmission grid from the ESB to EirGrid, was the key initiative contained in the Government’s white paper, launched by Mr Dempsey and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern earlier this week. Mr Dempsey said it would create a more attractive investment climate, deliver increased competition, reduce the cost of electricity and offer greater choice for consumers

However, Davy Naughton of the TEEU which represents 2,000 workers at the ESB said that decision flew in the face of a green paper launched by Minister Dempsey last October, in which he said he wished the ESB to remain a strong and viable company.

“It was the government decision that there would not be any fragmentation of the ESB, that such fragmentation would not reduce costs, but would, he believed, increase costs and threaten supply,” said Mr Naughton. “He is proposing to move a billion euros worth of assets from the ESB into another state company. There is no financial logic to it, no benefit to the customer and it potentially threatens security of supply.

“The Minister was asked what the savings would be and he was not able to say what the savings would be. Eirgrid was asked what the savings would be if he was managing the assets. They stated that they would be €1 million a year.

“Allowing for that, every customer in the country attached to the network would save 78 cents in the entire year.”

Mr Naughton said the unions are of the view that the breaking up of the ESB has no benefit and will affect the international business.

“It cannot be implemented without the staff of the company anyway, irrespective of what the Minister thinks. The action we can take can be anything from not cooperating with whatever they want to do to the ultimate extreme if that is what the government wants to push it to.

“If they want to do something we believe is stupid, uneconomical and which will undermine the security of the jobs and cost extra money to the customer, we are prepared to go as far as it takes to persuade them otherwise.

When asked about the possibility of a walkout, he said: “It would be a pity if it came to that, but if that is what is required, that is what is required.”