Decision to sell Laois Bord na Móna wheelie bin service can't be taken 'behind closed doors'

SIPTU has condemned the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Darragh O’Brien, after claiming that he  seeking to sign off on the private sale of Bord na Móna Recycling without having met with the workers directly affected.

The trade union issued the statement claiming that the Minister has so far excluded workers in the waste collection business that has many Laois customers in Portlaoise and other towns, despite repeated requests from the Union for such engagement.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, Ted Kenny, commented in a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

“It is unacceptable that the Minister is preparing to approve the sale of Bord na Móna Recycling without meeting with the workers whose livelihoods will be directly impacted. SIPTU has consistently called for meaningful consultation with staff and their representatives. The Minister’s failure to even sit down with them is a blatant disregard for the principles of fair process and worker involvement in decisions that shape their future.

“SIPTU has reaffirmed its call for an urgent meeting between the Minister and worker representatives before any decision on the sale is finalised.

“Decisions of this magnitude cannot be made behind closed doors or without the voices of workers being heard. We demand immediate engagement and answers not only about the sale, but also about the questions of governance and accountability raised at the highest levels of the company," he said.

Workers have already voted to strike over the sale. Soon afterwards, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) cleared, subject to legally binding commitments, the controversial proposed acquisition by KAES Recycling Holdings Ltd, part of the KWD (Killarney Waste Disposal) Group, of Bord na Móna Recycling Ltd.  

In clearing the deal, the Commission said steps had to be taken by the Kerry company to ensure there was competition in Leinster and Munster where it operated. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

Bord na Móna bought AES in 2007 and later rebranded the waste business as Bord na Móna Recycling.

The CCPC also said that the waste business is not delivering strong outcomes for consumers in Laois and elsewhere.

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KWD Group is a group of businesses owned and controlled by Seán Murphy/his family. The CCPC says Bord na Móna Recycling Limited Recycling collects and processes more than 340,000 tonnes of waste from over 133,000 customers annually.

Bord na Móna Recycling Limited, which is owned by taxpayers, caters to both domestic and commercial and industrial sectors. It services customers in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Carlow, Wexford, Louth, Meath, Cavan, Westmeath, Offaly, Laois, Roscommon, Tipperary, Clare and Limerick.

Bord na Móna was reportedly in line to sell for €55 million. That would mean a multi-million loss to the taxpayer as Bord na Móna paid €61 million for the waste management company, formerly known as Advanced Environmental Solutions (Ireland), in 2007.