Bord na Mona workers in the midlands have called on the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, to ensure that the ESB does not abandon plans to refurbish its peat-fired power station at Ferbane, Co Offaly.
Mr Adrian Kane, secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions group in Bord na Mona, said yesterday that members were deeply concerned at reports that the ESB was reviewing its £17 million refurbishment plan.
The jobs of about 240 Bord na Mona workers in the midlands are dependent on Ferbane. Any change in the ESB's plans would devastate the local community, he said. A spokesman for the ESB said that the plant's future was still under review.
Ferbane has been plagued over the past year by demarcation disputes which have delayed refurbishment. The position is to be reviewed next week.