NI Water start industrial action provincewide tomorrow as pay dispute rumbles on

The water firm’s employees will be manning picket lines in Belfast and Derry on Thursday morning in a one-day strike, and going forward will also be engaging in industrial action short of strike such as refusing to work overtime or cover absence due to sickness.

It comes after the public sector in general received a 5% pay hike, including many NI Water employees and its senior management; a small number of the firm’s staff didn’t get it, however, and were instead offered a 4% rise.

A spokeswoman for union NIPSA said: “Our members will not stand by while they are treated unfairly. Despite repeated efforts to engage constructively with management, no satisfactory offer has been made to address the pay disparity between this group of workers and others.

“This situation has caused understandable anger and frustration among our members, who continue to deliver vital work under increasingly challenging conditions. It is unacceptable that while other employees received a higher settlement, this group has been left behind.

“The financial pressures these members face – food costs, childcare, energy costs – are no different from those who received 5%. There is no justification for treating our members differently when it comes to pay.

“We urge management to return to the negotiating table with a serious and fair offer for pay that addresses the imbalance.”

It’s understood the strike will involve a very small number of staff, with fewer than 100 people affected by the pay dispute. NIPSA warned there could still be disruption to services for end users, though NI Water maintained its operations should continue unhindered.

The firm’s director of people and learning, Rose Kelly, said NI Water has “a range of complex pay arrangements across its workforce” and that more than 95% of staff had accepted a pay deal.

“However, NIPSA separately balloted a small number of employees who chose to remain on a legacy pay framework, and they have rejected the pay offer,” she said.

“We firmly believe the total pay offer is fair and equitable, as reflected in the overwhelming acceptance by our wider workforce. We remain committed to resolving this matter and ensuring these employees receive their pay settlement as soon as possible.”