Unions representing local authority staff met last week to discuss new correspondence from Minister Darragh O’Brien on the future of Ireland’s water services.

Fórsa and other union representatives welcomed the minister’s acceptance of four broad strands sought by the unions, as well as confirmation that there would be ‘no forced transfer’ of staff to a new centralised water service, which would take on current local authority water activities under plans put forward by the Government.

The head of Fórsa’s local government division, Dessie Robinson said the minister’s acceptance of the four strands would allow the group of unions to re-engage in intensive negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

In previous WRC discussions, Fórsa has sought movement on the following four strands:

• The structure and governance of the proposed single water utility
• Employment and industrial relations issues that arise from the proposal
• The need for a constitutional referendum on public ownership of water services, to assuage fears that the creation of a single authority is a precursor to the eventual privatisation of water services, and
• The future sustainability and revitalisation of local authority services.

In response, the Minister also expressed the view that the referendum on protecting the public ownership of Irish Water would be held later this year, alongside a referendum on the right to housing.

And the unions received further confirmation that there would be worker representation on the board of a revamped national water authority.

Last month, Fórsa received acknowledgement from Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, that there will be no forced transfer of staff to Irish Water.

In a meeting with unions, the Minister confirmed his position that, in the context of a wider overarching agreement on water sector transformation being put in place, local authority staff will not be required to transfer to Irish Water.

The union has maintained that any staff transfer arrangements under the five-year plan for Irish Water must be voluntary. The minister reaffirmed that any agreement brokered at the WRC would facilitate voluntary transfer to the national utility.

He also confirmed that local authorities will no longer have staff involved in the delivery of public water services beyond the end of 2026, and that local authorities will have fully exited the provision of public water services by that time. But he claimed there was significant growth in other areas to ensure the sustainability of local authorities.