Management and unions meet in effort to avert ESB strike
ESB management is due to meet ATGWU representatives today in a further effort to avert planned strike action by around half of the company's technicians.
The technicians were planning to go on strike from this morning as part of a dispute over the use of outside contractors by the ESB. However, the stoppage was postponed for a day to allow for this morning's talks.
The ATGWU has claimed that apprentice technicians working with the ESB are being denied jobs with the company in favour of outside contractors.
However, the ESB is insisting that the use of outside contractors was part of a deal negotiated with the unions in 2001.
A strike would not immediately affect power supplies, but blackouts would be possible if the stoppage continued as technicians would not be available to repair breakdowns in the network.
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