ESB technicians' union plays down strike breaking
A union representing ESB technicians on strike said today it would deal with around 100 workers who had not supported the action.
Around 1,200 technicians are picketing ESB network offices around the country in a strike over the use of private contractors by the ESB to upgrade its network.
The Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union (ATGWU) said its members had turned out at up to 70 locations, with the only exception being the branch at the ESB Networks office in Leopardstown.
“We have a small difficulty in Dublin South but that is a difficulty we are dealing with and will have dealt with by tomorrow,” said ESB branch organiser Brendan Ogle.
He said there were only a couple of dozen workers involved and did not rule out bringing in reinforcements from other branches around Dublin.
The ATGWU has said the use of private contractors is preventing apprentice technicians from securing staff positions.
“The strike is very, very solid and we are very grateful to our own members and indeed colleagues in other trade unions who have respected the long traditions of workers in ESB by abiding by good trade union practice and not passing pickets,” said Mr Ogle.
He said that 91% of ATGWU technicians had voted for the strike in a ballot last month and pledged that it would continue indefinitely until the ESB agreed to a meeting.
“These issues can only be addressed by us sitting down doing a new resourcing deal so we have to have those meetings.”
He said that the dispute would be confined to the technicians in ESB networks.
“We have 3,000 members in all of the ESB, including many members in the power stations, but this is a strike in networks and we are delighted with the support our members have shown.”
The ESB has refused to meet the ATGWU due to the strike action and has said that the union agreed to the use of private contractors in a restructuring deal three years ago.
The ATGWU represents 1,200 of the ESB’s 2,200 staff technicians but only seven of the 107 apprentice technicians at the heart of the dispute. The other unions involved, SIPTU and the Technical, Electrical and Engineering Union (TEEU), have agreed to meet with the ESB to resolve the outstanding issues.
The TEEU said today that its members had reported for work as normal.
The ESB said the strike had caused no difficulties so far.
“We have a major fault in north Dublin which is being worked on since around 3am this morning but we have had around eight other faults around the country and crews have been successfully dispatched to them,” said a spokesman.
Power supplies are unlikely to be affected by the dispute in the short term but the unavailability of nearly half of all the ESB’s technicians could lead to delays in breakdown repairs if the strike becomes protracted.
