AgriLand understands that the details of the redundancy package for Bord na Mona workers is expected to be announced today, November 14, following weeks of discussion on the topic.
Last month, the company announced that it would cease peat harvesting and burning by 2027, three years earlier than previously expected, as part of its ‘Brown to Green’ decarbonisation plan.
At the time, company CEO Tom Donnellan said: “While decarbonisation means we must introduce a new structure, it also means confronting some extremely difficult choices.
“It means that fewer people will be working in peat operations and also managerial and administrative roles across Bord na Mona,” said Donnellan last month, adding that a voluntary redundancy program would be introduced.
Yesterday, at a sitting of the Joint Committee on Climate Action, a number of TDs and senators outlined their concerns over the social effects that these redundancies could bring, if an appropriate package is not put in place.
Senator Michelle Mulherin was particularly vocal on the issue, and said that previous examples of large-scale lay-offs – concentrated in a single area – had led to a range of social problems.
It’s not known if Bord na Mona employees have been made aware of the details of the package as of yet.