Esat Telecom is to review its sponsorship of the Young Scientists Exhibition next January, following recommendations by two teachers unions to boycott the event unless its mobile subsidiary grants union recognition to employees. The sponsorship is worth around £600,000 per year.
Esat chairman, Mr Denis O'Brien said yesterday he was very disappointed at the stance by the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), which said it would be recommending a boycott of the Young Scientists Exhibition to its members because of Esat Digifone's policy of not recognising unions. Esat Telecom is a 45 per cent shareholder in Esat Digifone.
Mr O'Brien said he was particularly disappointed because it undermined the whole competition. "It is bad form for certain interest groups to come out and tell its members to boycott the competition." He said Esat would sponsor the forthcoming competition but would then review the situation.
The Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) said yesterday it had written to Esat Digifone urging the mobile phone company to reconsider its failure to grant union recognition and expressing solidarity with the Communication Workers Union, which is attempting to negotiate union recognition.
It emerged last week that the ASTI, the larger secondary teachers union, would be recommending a boycott of the exhibition over the Esat Digifone union recognition issue.
