The job losses follow a decision by the company to close 17 of its 62 active bogs immediately, with harvesting at the remaining 45 bogs expected to stop by 2025.
Bord na Móna Chief Executive Tom Donnellan said the decision has been made necessary because of the need to decarbonise energy sources in response to climate change.
Chairman of the Bord na Móna group of unions said he is shocked by the scale of job losses proposed by the company.
Willie Noone of SIPTU was speaking at the Boora Bord na Móna works in Co Offaly this afternoon after formal discussions on the job losses began with company management.
Mr Noone said the unions fear that the number of job losses in the short to medium term will not stop at 400.
He said he believes up to 850 workers who are working in the peat sector will lose their positions and has rejected suggestions by Bord na Móna that up to 400 of them could be redeployed.
He said a significant proportion of the workers in peat energy are aged in their 50s and beyond and added: "We do not believe that a significant majority of these workers can be redeployed".
Mr Noone said: "We are calling on the company to come forward and provide a proper voluntary severance package which will reflect the quality of the contributions made by these employees over the last 30 years and more."
Mr Noone said he was satisfied that the company is prepared to engage in a process of negotiation with them, but there were clear question marks over Bord na Móna's proposed move into the biomass industry that would have to be addressed if any workers were going to have a secure future in the company.
Sinn Fein politician Cllr Thomas Redmond claimed that Bord na Móna representatives had previously claimed to public representatives that the Kilberry plant outside Athy would continue to be in operation until 2031.
Co Kildare Chamber said the loss of up to 430 jobs at Bord na Mona is very disappointing.
CEO Allan Shine said:
"County Kildare Chamber will now immediately look to work closely with Local and National Government, state agencies and all key stakeholders to ensure that we find suitable employment for those affected by today’s announcement.
"This job loss announcement will have a huge impact on Kildare and neighbouring counties and we now call on the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphries TD to hold an urgent meeting of all key agencies to come together to make sure we put together urgent support packages for those affected today.
"People affected by today’s announcement will need immediate reassurances that suitable employment will be available in the short term This is the key message we will have for Government and for the Minister.
"Obviously, with an ever changing economy, Bord na Mona now needs to diversify and the decision by them today, I am sure has not been taken lightly."
In a statement, Bord na Móna Chief Executive Tom Donnellan said:
“Decarbonisation is the biggest challenge facing this planet. For Bord na Móna it presents both a serious challenge and a national opportunity. By accelerating the move away from peat into renewable energy, resource recovery and new businesses we are supporting national policy and seizing the opportunity presented by decarbonisation. Standing still is not an option for Bord na Móna.
"We are embarking on a transition phase now which will see us become a leading provider of renewable energy on the Island of Ireland by 2026, a leader in high value recycling and provider of a range of new low carbon goods and services. Allied to all of this, a key focus of our decarbonisation plan is ensuring that Bord na Móna remains a very significant employer in the Midlands of Ireland for the decades to come.
"In the past few months we have put in place a new structure to safeguard the maximum number of jobs, facilitate the decarbonisation strategy and reposition of the company. While, decarbonisation means we must introduce a new structure it also means confronting some extremely difficult choices. It means that fewer people will be working in peat operations and also managerial and administrative roles across Bord na Móna.
"We will shortly open a voluntary redundancy programme, with the expectation that these changes could directly impact approximately 380-430 roles and employees.
"A consultation process that includes the Group of Unions is underway. It will enable Bord na Móna to work through these challenges.
"In the medium term, we will be increasing employment again in our new businesses but this is not to minimise the real short term challenges for people that flow from decarbonisation”.
Key points of the company’s decarbonisation plan include;
- 75% of energy generated by company will be renewable by 2020, up from 10% in 2010.
- Development of new businesses to support the low carbon economy in development. Identified potential to create 400-500 jobs across the Midlands in the medium term.
- Accelerated development of renewable energy assets. Providing up to 2GW of generating assets by 2030.
- Steep increase in supply of Green-House-Gas neutral biomass replacing peat to the three midlands power stations.
- The complete end of using peat for energy brought forward by two years to 2028.
- An immediate steep reduction in peat volumes down from a recent high of 6.5million tonnes(mt) in 2013 to 2mt in 2020.
- Fast tracking peat reduction and cessation carries significant associated reduction in carbon emissions.
- Investment and acquisitions by the Resource Recovery business in high value recycling and waste recovery operations to support national circular economy.
- Expansion of company’s new tyre recycling plant to create 46 jobs.
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