Threat of industrial action hangs over ESB

The threat of industrial action hangs over ESB today as one of the company's biggest unions pledged to take "whatever action is necessary" to have one of its officials reinstated after a row.

The Technical, Electrical and Engineering Union (TEEU), which represents 2,000 electricians and ancillary staff in the ESB, gave the company a three-week deadline, after which it would consider strike action.

The dispute centres around Mr Joe LaCumbre, deputy chairman for the past five years, who claims to have been removed from his job following an intervention by the company's chairman, Mr Tadhg O'Donoghue.

The dispute arose last Tuesday when, following a meeting over the company's €511 million pension deficit, there was a disagreement about who should chair board meetings in the absence of Mr O'Donoghue. Following a vote, Mr Eoin Fahy was selected for this role.

Mr LaCumbre claims this vote means he was effectively dismissed from his post and he is now considering his legal options. He insisted the intervention of Mr O'Donoghue led to his dismissal due to his "strong views on protecting staff pension benefits and entitlements".

But the ESB insists Mr LaCumbre has not been dismissed and Mr O'Donoghue said that he did not have the powers to remove Mr LaCumbre.

The TEEU's National Industrial Secretary Mr Davy Naughton said in a statement that the union would not allow board members elected by staff to be "treated as second class members of this or any other semi-state board".

He said if the dispute was not resolved by the next ESB board meeting on February 22nd, the TEEU "in consultation with other ESB workers, will be considering unilateral action in response to that of Mr O'Donoghue."

Mr LaCumbre has received the support of unions other than the TEEU.