Forsa To Ballot Council Staff On Industrial Action Over Transfer Of 3,500 Workers To Irish Water.

Thursday, 13 May 2021 10:20

Staff at Kildare County Council among those to be invited to vote.

Council workers, including in Kildare County Council, to be balloted on industrial action over the proposed transfer of 3,500 staff to Irish Water.

The Government outlined plans to bring local authority workers under the control of Irish Water in 2017.

But Fórsa says staff won’t agree to this in the absence of a referendum to underpin public ownership and control of the utility.

The union says local authority staff have growing fears that the proposal will be a stepping stone to water privatisation unless a referendum takes place first.

Industrial action over water transfer looks “inevitable” https://t.co/EDWo0458WB #FórsaLGLS2021: "Repeated failure to respond to concerns, or even show some respect to those providing water infrastructure means industrial action is almost inevitable. The only question is when."
— Fórsa trade union (@forsa_union_ie) May 12, 2021

Local authorities currently provide water services to Irish Water on the basis of service level agreements (SLAs), which run until 2025.

Peter Nolan is the union's National Secretary.

Speaking to Kildare Today, he says staff signed contracts with their respective local authorities, not Irish Water.

Mr. Nolan joined Clem Ryan on Thursday morning's edition of the programme.

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