ESB staff to vote again on review

ESB shift workers are to vote again on the company's £270 million Cost and Competitiveness Review (CCR), following clarification of it by the general secretary of ICTU, Mr Peter Cassells. The decision was welcomed by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Bruton, who said: "The implementation of this package in its entirety is of crucial importance to the future of the company".

The ESB board is to meet today but is likely to defer making a decision on its attitude to the CCR until the outcome of the ballot is known next week.

After meetings yesterday the executive committees of SIPTU and the ATGWU decided to ballot their members again.

However SIPTU, which represents about 25 per cent of the 560 shift workers, said it would recommend rejection. A union representative, Mr Tony Dunne, said last night: "We do not think the proposals are satisfactory".

The ATGWU, which represents the majority of the dissenting workers, is making no recommendation to its workers on the ballot.

The shift workers were the only category of ESB workers whose negotiating team unanimously recommended rejection of the terms on offer. Shift workers provide essential 24 hour cover in power stations.

Mr Cassells intervened in the dispute last week after the shift workers' rejection. After two days of discussions with the company and the shift workers' representatives, Mr Cassells wrote to the unions urging them to re ballot their members.