The threat of a weekend unofficial strike by ESB workers has been averted, following the intervention of the Minister for Communications, Mr Dempsey.
Mr Joe LaCumbre, is to remain as Deputy Chairman and has appealed to the workers not to strike.
Mr Dempsey today met with the Chairman of the ESB, Mr Tadhg O'Donoghue and separately with the Deputy Chairman of the ESB, worker director Mr Joe LaCumbre, who claimed he had been removed from his position.
Following the meeting, the Minister issued a statement reiterating that "Mr LaCumbre is the Deputy Chairman of ESB and will remain so."
It was also agreed at the meeting that "the role and functions of the Deputy Chariman needs to be clearly defined, particuly in light of the best corporate governance practice," said the statement.
A separate meeting between ESB management and TEEU officials ended at ESB headquarters shortly before 6 pm. At that meeting TEEU Acting General Secretary Mr Eamon Devoy and National Industrial Officer Mr Davy Naughton agreed to address, as a matter or urgency, a number of outstanding issues, including the pension deficit, which Mr Devoy said was of particular importance to union members.
In a statement after the meeting with the Minister, Mr LaCumbre appealed to the workers not to strike: "I would like to thank the ESB staff for their support and in the light of the resolution of the difficulties I want to appeal that the protests scheduled for tomorrow should not take place." he said.
The industrial action was threatened by network technicians who are members of the TEEU. It centred on a dispute over the role of the company's deputy chairman, worker director Mr Joe LaCumbre who objected to payments by the ESB of a divident to the Government while it has a €511 million pension deficit.
Mr LaCumbre had claimed that he has been, in effect, removed from his position.
The action, if it had gone ahead, would have resulted in limited power cuts, as network technicians who operate and maintain ESB's distribution network had plans to stop responding to calls from tomorrow until Monday.
The threatened strike was condemned by ESB management who said it was outside the agreed procedures within the company and the nationally agreed partnership process (Sustaining Progress), and contravened the Industrial Relations Act 1990.