‘Detailed plans’ in place in the event of strike by ESB staff

The Department of Energy has said contingency plans are in place in the event of a strike by ESB workers next month and has expressed confidence disruption to the public will be minimised.

However, the business representative body, Ibec, said that contingency plans being put in place by companies across the country “could leave thousands of workers being put on protective notice and losing income in the run-up to Christmas”.

There was also a warning from the IDA that the strike threat could jeopardise foreign investment.

Strike notice was served on senior management in the ESB at 2pm yesterday, and industrial action is due to begin at 8am on December 16th unless a breakthrough can be reached in talks between the company and unions.

ESB management and unions are in talks to discuss issues regarding the company’s pension scheme.

The dispute centres on claims by union members that the company’s changes to its pension plan means workers are carrying a risk of €1.7 billion.

Talks between union officials and high-level executives in the ESB on Thursday night ended without agreement, with both sides acknowledging a wide gulf persists between the parties.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy last night said Eirgrid – the independent body with statutory responsibility for managing the electricity transmission system in Ireland – was prepared for the impact of any potential industrial action by ESB workers.

“The company has detailed operational and communications plans in place to deal with a variety of scenarios with a view to minimising disruptions and mitigating the impact of any disruption,” said the spokesman.

A spokesman for Eirgrid said the company had “detailed plans” in place for a range of situations.

“On an ongoing basis, we have detailed plans for a range of potential situations. We will, of course, ensure our plans for any situation are updated constantly, and will communicate with customers well in advance if there is a change.”

Meanwhile, IDA Ireland – the State agency responsible for attracting foreign investment – said the threat of power cuts could “hurt Ireland’s international reputation” and damage the chances of securing investment.

The organisation’s chief executive, Barry O’Leary, said he had been contacted in recent days by client companies “expressing concern” about the implications of power cuts.

“At any one time we will have tens of companies in the process of making a decision to move parts of their business to Ireland.

“If we can’t guarantee something as basic as electricity, these investments are less likely to come to Ireland,” Mr O’Leary added.

After the talks with ESB management on Thursday night, the ESB group of unions general secretary Brendan Ogle said the two sides were “very far apart” but that talks would continue.

He added that these would not be conducted in the public domain.