Siptu has urged Minister for Environment Darragh O’Brien to block the sale of Bord na Móna’s wheelie bin service to a private company, claiming the deal is an act of “economic vandalism”.
State-owned Bord na Móna on Friday said it had settled terms to sell its waste management division to KWD Recycling of Killarney, Co Kerry. The sale price was not disclosed, but Bord na Móna previously reported €108.4 million in annual recycling revenues in the year to March 2023.
Siptu, the largest union in the State, has called on the Minister to halt the deal, saying workers have already signalled a ballot to strike.
A spokesman for Mr O’Brien’s department said: “Any proposal, or any proposed agreement, to sell part of the Bord na Móna’s business is subject to regulatory approval including ministerial consent, and will be considered on receipt of a formal request from Bord na Móna.”
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Union officials will meet on Monday to decide the next steps in an industrial and pollical campaign.
Strike action could disrupt many customers. Bord na Móna collects waste from 133,000 homes and businesses in Leinster and north Munster. It has recycling centres in Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Offaly and Wexford.
Siptu organiser Adrian Kane said the sale of the last remaining publicly-owned waste collection service was deeply concerning.
“This semi-State company is part of a group which generated more than €100 million profit for the State in 2024. It also sets the gold standard for environmental and workers’ rights compliance in the sector,” Mr Kane said.
There was no Bord na Móna comment on Siptu criticism. A recent Bord na Móna statement said “all employees will continue to work for the recycling business with no change to their contractual terms and conditions of employment on handover”.
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