Northern Ireland Water workers who are members of the Unite union have suspended strike action due to start on December 10, after a pay award was approved at the eleventh hour by Stormont ministers.
Employees at publicly-owned Northern Ireland Water are now to receive a 5% pay increase and a one-off payment of £1,500, following initial approval by infrastructure minister, John O’Dowd.
There were concerns that Northern Ireland could face widespread water disruption, potentially affecting thousands of homes, had water workers gone ahead with planned industrial action over the long-standing pay dispute.
Minister O’Dowd said: “I hope by approving this pay award we can now provide reassurance that there will be no disruption to water supply and wastewater services for all homes and businesses throughout the North.”
Unite regional officer, Joanne McWilliams, said, “This workforce has been waiting for 21 months for a pay increase all other civil servants have already received. Disgracefully, it took the threat of industrial action at the heart of winter by low-paid water workers to break the ministerial log-jam holding up this money.”
• A ballot on strike action of NI Water members of the GMB trade union is about to close with the result expected on December 11.
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