Mary’s plea for Bord Na Mona staff facing sack
Mary Robinson FORMER president Mary Robinson has urged Bord Na Mona to undertake a “just transition” as it prepares for job losses.
Last month it announced there would be around 430 redundancies as it moves towards decarbonisation.
Unions were told the company plans to close 17 of 62 bogs where peat is harvested in the Midlands.
Speaking at the Creative Responses to Climate Change event at Trinity College Dublin, Mrs Robinson said: “For decades the people in the Midlands harvested peat to heat our homes.
“However, we now know peat is the worst of fossil fuels we burn for energy.
“A just transition has origins in the labour movement, aiming to secure the future and livelihoods of workers, based on social dialogue and human rights.
“It’s an economy-wide process that leads to a future where all jobs are green and decent, greenhouse gases are at net-zero and poverty is eradicated and communities are thriving and resilient.”
Mrs Robinson also said fossil fuel companies have lost moral authority.
She added: “They have lost legitimacy to operate, like tobacco. Selling a product known to cause harm is not acceptable.”