Do ESB unions fear competition?

THE ESB unions have threatened strike action to derail Government policy because of the transfer of transmission assets to Eirgrid.

Everybody’s opinion is welcome. But one can reasonably ask why the ESB unions would go on strike and make the customer suffer because of the transfer of assets from one semi-state company to another.

When companies like Airtricity approach Eirgrid, as it is now constituted, seeking a connection to the transmission grid, they are treated as a competitor. The result is that it can take from five to seven years to get a wind farm connected.