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Photocall Ireland
Power Outage
Union boss warns that ESB industrial action could hit power supplies
Brendan Ogle says that there is “no doubt” that industrial action would hit services.
THE SECRETARY OF the ESB group of unions says that power cuts cannot be ruled out if workers strike.
Workers yesterday voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute over the semi-state’s pension scheme.
Brendan Ogle told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that there was “no doubt” that industrial action by staff would disrupt services, but could not say what kind of action it would be.
“The workers who voted yesterday represent workers across the ESB system – generation and networks.
If those workers were to withdraw their labour, I’ve no doubt that there would be a disruption to service.
“What effect that would have, how long it would be and how damaging it would be to people across the country remains to be seen.”
Ogle said that the dispute is not about wages at the company, where the average wage is around €65,000. Instead, he claimed, it was about a gaping €1. billion hole in the company’s pension fund.
Unions will decide on Friday whether to serve notice on the company, with 87 per cent of workers voting in favour of industrial action yesterday.
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