Uisce Éireann, formerly Irish Water, has confirmed to Agriland that the water supply to farmers in some parts of the country may be impacted by strike action today (Thursday, July 13).
Water services staff attached to 12 local authorities are engaging in industrial action today and tomorrow (Friday, July 14).
The workers, who are part of the Unite trade union, are demanding assurances that they will retain their public service status when they are moved from local authorities to Uisce Éireann.
The union is also calling for strengthening of existing commitments regarding protection of local authority workers involved in water services delivery and a removal of service and age barriers for those wishing to avail of the redundancy option.
The action comes after Unite members voted to reject the ‘Framework for the Future Delivery of Water Services’ document put forward by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) last year.
Unite claims that local authorities and their representative association, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), have failed to engage on what the union believes to be shortcomings in the framework document.
Water supply
As a result of the industrial action, Uisce Éireann has issued precautionary boil water notices for around 63,600 customers in Co. Waterford and to over 19,000 customers in Co. Tipperary.
The utility said that the notices have been issued to protect the health of customers.
“There may also be some disruption to water services, in particular, the speed at which bursts to the water network are repaired in all counties impacted by the strike action,” it said.
Customers covered by the notices, details of which are available on the Uisce Éireann website, are advised to boil their water before consuming.
A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann told Agriland that farmers whose holdings are supplied with water from the public network are included in the notices.
Uisce Éireann has said that notices may also be issued to other local authority areas involved in the dispute.
This includes counties Waterford; Cork; Kerry; Dublin; Louth; Carlow; Galway; and Wexford.
Tom Cuddy, head of operations for Uisce Éireann, acknowledged the impact of the notices on the community.
“Our expectation was that the core activities of water services are regarded as essential services and should be exempt from industrial action.
“However, neither Uisce Éireann or the local authorities have been able to get clarity through the Unite Strike Committees, that they will continue to operate critical treatment plants or respond to emergencies.
“Unfortunately, Uisce Éireann has no choice but to put several boil water notices in place to protect public health.
“The boil water notices may run for several days as we will need time to assess the impacts on treatment plants and processes post-strike,” he said.