Eircom staff present anti-eIsland bid petition
Wednesday, 1 August 2001 22:09
Eircom staff-members have presented a petition to the company's Chief Executive. In the statement to Alfie Kane, they express their dissatisfaction with Denis O'Brien's offer for the company.
They said that the eIsland offer was closely associated with an individual who has refused to recognise trade unions in his role with a previous company.
A spokesperson for the group also said that Mr O'Brien has been strongly critical of Eircom and its staff in the past. The petition was signed by 4,258 Eircom workers.
An eIsland statement said that it was surprised at being labelled 'anti-union' when it was offering greater participation to employees and the union coalition than any other proposal. eIsland said that its board would welcome a meeting with workers to assure them of its commitment to working with the union and its members.
Meanwhile E-Power, the independent power company backed by Denis O'Brien, has announced it will close in October. The company incurred losses of ¤6m since it entered the electricity market 18 months ago.
The company, which employs seven people, blamed regulatory issues, wholesale prices and what it described as unfair practices in the market for its decision to cease trading.
