Were ESB workers given their pay increase?

[Howitzer]

Everyone remembers the furore over the ESB workers being awarded the [broken link removed] due to them, however there was a Union guy (didn't catch name) on Matt Cooper who stated categorically that this payment has not been made and that the assumption that it had been was purely down to the right wing bias of the Irish press.

Is this true?

 

[ashambles]

This is probably the standard union interview technique where they pretend to not understand the question.

The aggreement the unions, government and IBEC came up with just last year was a 3.5% rise followed by a 2.5% rise. Sure our powerhouse economy could keep doubling pay every 10 years or so ad infinitum. (At least the leader of IBEC had the grace to retire shortly afterwards.)

So presumably it's the second part of the rise that's not been paid yet.

This IT (right wing press?) article states the first part was paid in January.
[broken link removed]

“On December 17th the board of ESB approved payment of the 3.5 per cent increase that was due under the agreement and staff were duly told. The first contacts with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources regarding the payment took place in mid- January 2009, following media reports of the board’s decision.”

The payment was made at the end of January

 

[Howitzer]

He really was quite categorical. Are there any TEEU members / ESB employees out there who can confirm otherwise?

I'd be pretty disappointed to find out that a right wing autocracy had slipped into power while I wasn't looking.

 

[Howitzer]

Well I'm calling this myth busted. This allegation was made by [broken link removed] and could quite easily been backed up by anyone - even within this right wing autocracy under whose yoke we mere proles toil.

I should have called this thread Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. I'm aware of the irony.