This week’s Argus

In this week’s Argus, Anne Campbell leads with the story Talk of the Town brought you yesterday about students voting against plans for a velodrome at the JJB facility. There’s also an interview with Brendan Ogle on his decision to leave the ESB last week, coverage of the opening of the new children’s respite centre in Lordship last Friday and news of an animal rights charity’s call to boycott Tom Duffy’s Circus, which is in Dundalk this week.

All that and more in this week’s Argus… on sale now!

Ogle to leave role as ESB union boss

Brendan Ogle

Respected union boss Brendan Ogle, the Secretary of the ESB Group of Unions, is leaving ESB and his position as Group Secretary.

Mr Ogle, who hails from Marian Park in Dundalk, represented staff in ESB for nearly ten years, initially as a regional organiser for Unite and more recently as Secretary of the ESB Group of Unions.

In a statement, Mr Ogle said the decision was initiated by him and was made by mutual consent.

He said the group of unions’ recent successful campaign to have the ESB pension scheme reclassified and treated as a defined benefit pension scheme allows him to leave the company “at an appropriate time”.

In December he received death threats when a union issue led to fears of a black-out around the country over the Christmas period.

Brendan first came to prominence during the rail strike in the summer of 2000 when he led a small breakaway union, ILDA (Irish Locomotive Drivers’ Association) – many of whose members were based at Clarke Station in Dundalk.

In a statement, the ESB said it wished Mr Ogle well in his future endeavours.

“While 2013 was a difficult period for industrial relations in ESB and in turn for customers, ESB acknowledges that over the period of his involvement with ESB as a union official and as Secretary of the ESB Group of Unions, Mr Ogle made a significant contribution, particularly through the delivery and implementation of a number of important change agreements,” the company added.

Union boss receives death threats

Brendan Ogle

ESB union boss Brendan Ogle confirmed yesterday that he received death threats during the recent dispute with the ESB, which threatened to result in black-outs around the country from next Monday.

Threats of a “serious nature” were also made against his family, Mr Ogle told Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio yesterday.

Ogle, who hails from Marian Park in Dundalk, said the threats were taken seriously and were a factor as to why negotiations between the ESB and the unions took place at undisclosed locations. A deal was struck between the ESB and unions on Sunday, preventing the possibility of industrial action next week.

“Unfortunately people have been whipped up by this. Threats of a serious nature have been made against me and my family and these are being investigated by the gardai and I don’t want to say much more about it,” he told Sean O’Rourke.

When the broadcaster asked if it was a threat to his life, he replied “yes”.

The unions boss said the threats were made a week ago and that gardai were treating them seriously.

He also said the death threats were “a factor” in the talks between the ESB and union officials taking place at undisclosed locations.