ESB apprentices occupy TEEU trade union headquarters

dublin | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Tuesday September 20, 2005 00:12 by Not Donal Nevin

This evening a half dozen ESB apprentices were occupying the hallway of the headquarters of the TEEU trade union in Parnell Square, Dublin.

This evening a half dozen ESB apprentices were occupying the hallway of the headquarters of the TEEU trade union in Parnell Square, Dublin. They were protesting about the lack of representation from the TEEU, of which they are members, in the current dispute in the ESB.

The technician members of the ATGWU trade union are due to commence an official strike tomorrow over the increasing use of contractors by the ESB, which the ATGWU say is leading to a lack of work for ESB apprentices. The strike is not being supported by the TEEU, SIPTU or, it now seems, another Branch of the ATGWU in the ESB.

The general impression from the mainstream media is that this dispute is (a) the ATGWU having a go, and in particular Brendan Ogle, and (b) that it is over a general concern that more contractors would mean less work for ESB workers, in this case apprentices.

There appears to be more to it. Firstly, not all the ATGWU are supporting it, and the protesting apprentices are from the TEEU which has just said publicly that the TEEU does not have a problem in the ESB. In addition the apprentices in question are not young lads coming to the end of their training and looking for a way, justifiable as it would be, to stay in the ESB rather than have contractors taking the work. Traditionally not every apprentice gets a job where they serve their time.

The apprentices in the TEEU offices are all in their thirties or more, and have children to support. They are former temporary general operatives in the ESB who, as part of a restructuring deal, under which their work was gone, have been retrained as electricians. They now want to stay in the ESB, but they have been issued with notice that they are to be let go. In their position, effectively an involuntary redundancy situation, it is natural and fair that they would want to do the work that the highly profitable ESB is bringing in outside contractors to do.

They say that there are about 100 facing a lay-off and that it could rise to about 500. Not all of these are re-trainees. Many are traditional young apprentices.

Far from things being hunky dorey in the TEEU, there are members in great need who are claiming they are getting no representation. To such an extent that they have sat-in in their own union offices.

If you are a trade union member drop in to see them and get their side of the story.

And meanwhile, Donal Nevin, former ICTU General Secretary gets Bertie Ahern (fresh from ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange) to launch his new biography of James Connolly (!!!!) earlier in the evening at Liberty Hall. You couldn't make it up!