ESB workers say they won’t proceed with strike action that would have left one in four homes in darkness.
The announcement follows a breakthrough this evening in LRC talks between staff and management at the electricity supplier.
ESB workers had set a deadline of Monday December 16th as the date that they would down tools, after a 1.6 billion Euro hole was discovered in their pension fund.
In Donegal, both the hydroelectric power stations at Ballyshannon and Crolly were reported to be at risk of closure due to the strike.
However the ESB Group of Unions has now confirmed that they are to officially withdraw strike notice.
One of the major stumbling blocks to agreement was the ESB’s decision to change staff pensions from a defined benefit-type scheme, to a defined contribution-type scheme.
Under the new deal the Union Mandate will protect the Pensions as a Defined Benefit Scheme and existing agreements will be fully met.
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