Workers agree to LRC meeting with ESB management

WORKERS AT ESB have agreed to meet with management at the Labour Relations Commission following an intervention by government.

Minister Pat Rabbitte asked the LRC to resolve the dispute over pensions before consumers are impacted by interruptions to the country’s power supply.

The ESB Group of Unions is planning industrial action, beginning 16 December.

In an irate statement in the early hours of this morning, the unions slammed a “so-called offer” it had received from ESB management yesterday. The offer, it said, will infuriate every union member of the Defined Benefit pension scheme.

“Yesterday, ESB management stated to the Unions that they agreed that the description of this scheme as a DB scheme and, simultaneously as a DC scheme, was no longer sustainable. Today, that same management tabled a formal so called ‘offer’ which did just that,” the unions explained.

“Given that ESB management have again demonstrated utter bad faith and duplicity the ESB Group of Unions welcome an invitation from the Labour Relations Commission for a meeting and have agreed to such a meeting.”

Announcing the government’s intervention, Rabbitte said:

It is unthinkable that our economic recovery should be jeopardised, domestic consumers inconvenienced and our country’s reputation undermined by a power disruption that appears to be out of all proportion to the issues in dispute.

“I have therefore this evening requested the Labour Relations Commission to convene the parties at the earliest possible time,” he added, noting that he hoped the LRC would be able to “clear up any uncertainty as early as possible”.

More: Government asks LRC to resolve ESB dispute and “clear up any uncertainty”