Unions push NI Water dispute deadline further back

Trade unions have pushed back the deadline for a resumption of industrial action against Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) for a second time.

Northern Ireland’s Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP), which needs to approve the new pension package, had been given a deadline of 13 April to sign off the deal for NI Water staff, but unions are now waiting until 23 April before potentially resuming industrial action.

Unite representative Joanne McWilliams told Utility Week: “We’re still waiting. We’re still waiting for the DFP, but we’re getting closer to the deadline.”

A DFP spokesperson said: “NI Water as the employer, together with DRD as its sponsor department has submitted a pay remit business case to DFP for consideration. Given the executive’s pay policy, it is important that sufficient time and careful consideration be given to the pay remit business cases.”

The GMB, Unite, and Nipsa unions, who make up the water group of unions, gave an initial deadline of 31 March, but pushed this back to 13 April to account for the impact of the Easter holidays.

At the same time, they threatened that if the current proposal to amend the pension package at NI Water is not approved in full, union members would resume industrial action and not answer any out of hours calls, including emergency calls.

The industrial action was suspended in January so staff could consider the new proposals put forward. The action began at the end of December ran for four weeks and more than 10,000 customers had supply disruptions over the winter.

The unions withdrew from a goodwill arrangement that was struck between the parties over the Christmas and New Year period, whereby any incidents that posed a risk to public health or vulnerable consumers were dealt with, on 7 January.