Over 500 protesters send strong message on 'Just Transition'

Over 500 Bord na Móna workers who staged a protest in Shannonbridge, West Offaly on Saturday afternoon last sent a clear message to all general election candidates that the so-called 'Just Transition' to a low carbon economy must be made an urgent priority in the next Dail.

The protest, which was backed by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, took place against a backdrop of “fear and anxiety” among Bord na Móna workers, according to the Union's general secretary, Patricia King, who added that the outgoing government had “borrowed the language of Just Transition” but had “failed utterly to deliver on its substance.”

The workers and their families who joined the protest in Shannonbridge on Saturday expressed genuine fears for their future livelihoods, while retired colleagues also marched to highlight concerns around the security of their pensions.

The government announced a €6 million 'Just Transition' fund in last year's budget aimed at retraining and re-skilling workers across the Midlands who will lose their jobs as a result of the closure of the West Offaly power plant at the end of this year and the cessation of all peat production by 2027.

However, organisers of Saturday's protest claim that further investment is needed in the areas of retrofitting and renewable energy production to address the shortfall in jobs and to assist with the switch to a low carbon economy.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the Bord an Móna protest, Fine Gael this week announced a further suite of 'Just Transition' measures worth €244m to benefit workers losing their jobs through Bord na Móna's decarbonisation plans.

The announcement was made in the wake of heavy criticism across the Midlands for the outgoing government's response to the end of peat production and the knock-on effects on employment in the Midlands region.