A “PRECAUTIONARY” BOIL WATER notice affecting over 80,000 people in the southeast has been enacted due to a strike by water service workers.

All customers are advised to boil their water before consuming from “until further notice”, including 63,000 people in Waterford city, Tramore. Dunmore East, and surrounding areas. A further 19,000 people in Tipperary are affected including in Clonmel.

“Uisce Éireann’s primary focus is and always will be the protection of public health. Due to the strike action, Uisce Éireann has taken steps to protect public health by imposing Boil Water Notices on these schemes,” the company said.

Trade union Unite has taken the industrial action in 12 different local authority areas.

The speed at which bursts to the water network are repaired in each county is also likely to be impacted.

Union members in Waterford told The Journal the boil water notice emphasises the importance of their industrial action.

They are protesting a deal put forward by the Workplace Relations Commission last year to resolve tensions over the future of water service staff who are being transferred to Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water).

Their picket is taking place due to what Unite has claimed is the “ongoing failure” of local authorities and their representative association – the Local Government Management Agency – to partake in fresh talks over what the union believes to be shortcomings in the WRC’s agreement.

Last year, Unite members voted to reject the ‘Framework for the Future Delivery of Water Services’ document put forward by the WRC.

They are seeking a commitment that members transferring to Irish Water will retain their public service status and that their employment terms won’t be affected. A referendum on public ownership of water services is also a key desire.

Aside from Waterford and Tipperary, protests are taking place in Cork, Galway Louth and Carlow. In the capital, pickets are taking place at councils in Fingal County Council and South Dublin County Council.

In Dublin, water service workers have held pickets at Fingal County Council and South Dublin County Council.

Jonathan Byrne People believe there’s less security in going to Irish Water so they want to stay with the local authority. That’s why the majority of members voted against it.

“Workers don’t want to lose their public service standing but we need a referendum. A referendum was promised for the past seven years but there’s no confirmation of a date.

Paul Coughlan, who was already been a member of Siptu, said he joined Unite to voice his unhappiness about the deal for water service workers.

“I had to join Unite to seek these protections. My union didn’t give us a ballot on the framework document and I think Unite took a prudent stance by balloting their members.

“We were told that it’s all agreed and everything had been sorted, but that’s not the case without guarantees for our terms and a date for the referendum.”