WORKER DIRECTORS will still have four seats on the Telecom board under new proposals put to the Dail yesterday. Two of the directors will have full voting rights, while the others will be able to speak and attend the meetings.

The latter two directors will also be able to vote in the event of their colleagues being absent.

Under the Government's original proposal, worker directors would have had only two seats on the Telecom board as part of the KPN/Telia alliance.

The consortium, which is taking an initial 20 per cent stake in Telecom, will have three board members. Telecom workers were vehemently opposed to the reduction in representation and fought a tough campaign to retain their seats.

The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications, Mr Emmet Stagg, said last night he felt that the amendment was "a reasonable compromise".

Mr Stagg, who steered the Telecommunications Bill through the Dail, said he had detailed discussions with Communications Workers Union (CWU) representatives and, although this solution was not everything the worker directors were looking for, it was very close to it.

The report and final stages of the Bill were taken in the Dail yesterday amid strong criticism from opposition parties.