Fórsa and other unions have withdrawn the instruction for members to not participate in any Irish Water briefings in respect of the transfer of water services staff.

The joint union briefing sessions on the ‘Framework for the future delivery of water services’ have also resumed.

Fórsa is now urging its members to get involved in these briefing to better understand the intricate details of the situation and to get behind the ‘Keep Water Public’ campaign.

The campaign began last month with Fórsa national secretary Richy Carrothers saying the unions had come together to launch the campaign to maximise participation by union members.

“Privatised water services result in higher costs and poorer services for the public. Public ownership of water services ensures safe and sustainable access to water for everyone,” said Richy.

“A referendum would help protect Irish water services from any future attempt at privatisation, providing a constitutional guarantee of public ownership. Opinion polls show that a huge majority of the Irish public want a referendum to ensure water services can never be privatised,” he explained.

Richy urged member to get involved in the campaign and sign the petition. 

“We’re inviting all union branches and members to take part in this campaign by signing the petition and talking to their local political representatives about naming a date for this important referendum.

“This is the kind of grassroots campaign that unions excel at, and I’m confident that Fórsa members will seize the opportunity to get this message across to the Government parties,” he said.

You can sign the petition here. Fórsa members are encouraged to circulate the link among work colleagues, friends and family to seek their support for the campaign.