Eircom staff to serve notice of industrial action

EIRCOM is today expected to be served with notice of industrial action up to and including strike action by 4,500 of its workers.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) is taking the action, the first at the company in 30 years.

The union claims that Eircom’s Australian owner, Babcock and Brown, was refusing to pay a 2% pay increase due under the Towards 2016 national wage deal until staff agree changes in working conditions.

The company says it wants to pay the money but, first, Eircom wants the unions to negotiate on the new working arrangements — which it sees as vital due to increasing competition in an industry where it is having to fight for market share.

“We are not answering the phones quickly enough and we are not fixing the faults quickly enough. There are too many complaints from the customers because we are not responding to their needs,” Eircom chief executive Rex Comb said.

“We need to make the changes in the field to drive better customer service in Ireland.”

The union claims it is not adverse to negotiation on working conditions. But the CWU insisted it will not be held to ransom by the company for pay increases, which have been due since May 1.

It claims the company’s “change agenda” was only put to workers after that date. Therefore it wants the payment to be made before it will negotiate.

For the past two weeks, the CWU has been balloting its members but yesterday announced the result that showed 96.7% were in favour of industrial action.

CWU general secretary Steve Fitzpatrick said: “The CWU and its members in Eircom have worked in partnership with Eircom’s management since its initial privatisation, overseeing the biggest change agenda in any industry in this country.

“The fact that the company now chooses to abandon a partnership approach in favour of hostile actions is regrettable and I am absolutely confident that we will receive the full payment due to Eircom workers, with retrospection as due under the Towards 2016 Agreement.

“We will be meeting with our sister Unions in Eircom [IMPACT, PSEU and the CPSU] on how we can best co-operate to secure this justifiable claim.”

The national executive of the union will meet today to discuss the outcome of the ballot and it is thought likely that the union will issue a notice of the action on the company following that meeting.

Steve Fitzpatrick said it would not be announcing the form of action until the last minute so as to prevent the company formulating a contingency plan.

Meanwhile, workers at Bord na Móna are set to lodge a loss of income claim with the company for almost €2.25 million as a result of the closure of two of the ESB’s newest power stations in Lanesborough, Co Longford and Shannonbridge, Co Offaly.

SIPTU, which represents hundreds of bog workers in the midlands, is meeting with management of Bord na Móna tomorrow to discuss the claim.