The demarcation dispute involving ESB workers has been resolved. Agreement was reached between management and the unions representing the company's 400 day workers shortly before 11 p.m. yesterday This followed almost 12 hours of intensive negotiations in Athlone. Afterwards, ATGWU negotiator Mr Denis Rohan said he was happy the procedures agreed "reflect the viewpoint of the staff vis a vis their work".
The dispute began on Monday at Ferbane, where rigging work normally done by a day worker was allocated to someone else when he failed to turn up on time. The dispute rapidly escalated into unofficial strike action that threatened briefly to spread to other stations.
Day workers have been concerned that other grades are encroaching on their work and members of the national day workers association were involved in the settlement talks. Last night Mr Rohan said the terms "provide that designated work in the station will be carried out by the designated day workers".
SIPTU negotiator Mr Tony Dunne said the proposals would meet the needs of day workers at Ferbane and across the company. ESB management also welcomed the outcome. A spokesman said agreement had been reached on a process that would clarify the procedures under the 1996 Cost and Competitiveness Review.
The CCR, which saw the ESB shed a third of the workforce in its power stations, aimed to make work practices more flexible.
However, the role of day workers involved in rigging work was so small, around 20 people, that it was never specifically addressed in the CCR. That process will now take place.
The dispute will not affect the £17 million refurbishment plan for the station, which has been the site of a series of demarcation disputes.