Lights to stay on during Dutch - Belarus match 04/09/2006 00:00

4 September 2006

AMSTERDAM — Power company workers have called off the threat to plunge the European Championship qualifying match between the Netherlands and Belarus into darkness.

LME, the central organisation of workers councils in the energy industry, issued a statement on Saturday saying that it never intended to go through with the plan to cut the electricity at PSV's Philips stadium on Wednesday.

The threat, made on Friday, was part of the LME's campaign against the government's proposal to open up the Dutch energy market to competition. Draft legislation proposes separating the generation and distribution activities of the companies.

"We are employees of energy companies. We are not out to damage the quality of the energy supply. Our concern is that the splitting proposal will do that," LME chairman Jan de Jong said.

The action was to wake politicians up and to make them understand the legislation would be disastrous for the power companies, he said.

Dutch football federation KNVB responded with a counter-threat to hold the four directors of the workers organisation personally responsible for the financial costs of a power cut.

The KNVB said disrupting Wednesday's match could endanger the Netherlands' chance of qualifying for the European Championship. KNVB boss Henk Kesler said the LME's latest statement would be studied closely before a decision was taken whether to abandon the legal action planned for Tuesday.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2006]

Subject: Dutch news