The whole Hog: There is a Light that will possibly go out

Much has been made in the meeja about the prospect of an electricity strike starting the day after Ireland exits the EU IMF bailout. The metaphor of the lights going out or, in the case of Christmas, not going on, is too good to ignore. So too is the image of the all-powerful selfish craft union, hell-bent on its members’ interests at the expense of all others…
This is a tenacious demonography, especially among readers of Britain’s Daily Telegraph. But it can emerge almost anywhere at the touch of the right button, as it has recently, even in an august forum like RTÉ’s Today With Sean O’Rourke, on which the presenter had a right good go at union official Brendan Ogle.
The latter gave as good as he got. In particular, his consistent and continuous referral to the pay and conditions of the ESB’s hierarchy chimed with many – particularly chief executive Pat O’Doherty’s salary that’s well in excess of €300,000 a year.
Of course, context is important. The exchanges followed on from revelations about the topping up of salaries of senior medical executives and also regarding a very generous top-up for five senior members of staff of the Central Remedial Clinic, courtesy of the Friends and Supporters of the Central Remedial Clinic, a separate company that raises charity funds for the organisation.
In the case of the chief executive Paul Kiely, the top-up piled €136,000 onto his salary of €106,000. Newshounds will likely soon dig out other examples in other enterprises. Did I say dig out?
Indeed I did. Ah yes. The dig-out. An Irish custom of long standing. Santa Claus wouldn’t be in it. But the context also includes the discovery of a man’s body in the Phoenix Park in a sleeping bag, in an area frequented by homeless people. According to the Simon Community, the numbers of homeless in Dublin’s inner core has almost doubled. Significant increases are also reported in other parts of the country.
Basically, there’s no top-ups or dig-outs for them and no room at any of the inns. Yes, there are charities dedicated to helping and supporting the homeless, but their role is largely reactive and their resources are grossly unequal to the task in hand.
For sure, the homeless don’t have the kind of clout wielded by the ESB’s craft unions. They can’t issue threats of strike action that send shivers down every spine. Neither, of course, do they have access to the knowledge, technically proficient advice and raidable resources that senior health management figures seem to be able to tap.
In the present context it’s interesting, to put it mildly, to note that homelessness is one of the two areas targeted by ESB Electric AID Ireland (ESBEI), the ESB’s corporate social responsibility initiative. The other, incidentally, is suicide. Support for a wide range of activities is listed in ESBEI’s report for 2010. For example, 19 separate organisations were funded to deliver training for frontline staff.
They also invested €89,000 in direct services to homeless people, including education, transport, training, personal development and food (including €11,500 for the Capuchin Day Centre’s meals programme). According to the report, “The physical fabric and condition of accommodation for homeless people continued to be a significant area of expenditure.
Thirteen organisations as diverse as the Salvation Army and Depaul in Dublin, TEAM in Mullingar, Sophia Trust in 4 different locations, and Oakdene in Cork, received a total of €142,000 in 2010.”
It is just as well that the Central Remedial Clinic is not listed among ESBEI’s beneficiaries. That would have put the tin hat on everything. However, eagle-eyed readers will note that the total invested by ESBEI in helping improve accommodation for homeless people is uncannily close to the salary top-up added to the Central Remedial Clinic’s chief executive Paul Kiely.
None of the foregoing is to criticise ESBEI. It is what it is and good luck to the ESB and the staff who choose the priorities.
That said, the idea of corporate social responsibility is rooted in a hierarchical view of society, one in which there are needy people whom the wealthy (individuals or companies) can help. Very little consideration is given to creating a society in which no one remains needy…
I am not criticising the ESB craft unions either, notwithstanding that I and millions of others might feel like stringing them up were there to be power cuts over the coming weeks. Few would disagree that they appear to be simply defending their legitimate interests and in a society in which rich and powerful executives use their privilege and knowledge to circumvent pay guidelines, craft union members are hardly more blameworthy for exercising their unique negotiating power to foreground their campaign.
But it all tastes sour. Look across the lot of it and you sense a culture of amorality and self-interest. Just now, we may all be edging towards the light at the end of the tunnel. We should be getting ready to relax a bit and spend a bit and have a good time – but instead we’re fretting about the light and heat and fuming that Santa Claus seems to favour those who favour themselves. It isn’t fair. Well, here’s hoping that war doesn’t break out around our heads, that our lights and heat stay on and that we can shake a tailfeather in deep midwinter. We all deserve to.
Cheers!!