Tom Cuddy, Uisce Éireann's head of asset operations, has called on local authority workers who are members of the Unite trade union to engage positively with dispute resolution mechanisms.
Mr Cuddy told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that Uisce Éireann had issued a boil water notice for 100,000 people, “even though there's only a hundred people in dispute". He also warned that in the event of any problems arising, there had been “a very slow and mixed response to emergencies that arise".
There had been a situation on Wednesday evening when there was a mechanical failure and there had been “either a slow or a negative response” which meant there could be water outages for several hours, in some cases affecting thousands or tens of thousands of people.
Mr Cuddy explained that the boil water notice was a precaution because of the three days of industrial action. He urged the workers involved to engage in talks.
“There's a framework that has been put in place by the Government following extensive negotiations with all parties, which gives very extensive guarantees on terms and conditions and assurances for all workers and all of the other unions and other worker representative groups that have come on board to follow the implementation of that through the Irish Water Consultative Group.
“We'd encourage these people to go along with their colleagues and to engage in the same manner, and that there are very significant safeguards, guarantees, assurances and options and also quite a significant amount of time put in place. We have already embarked on working with the Irish Water Consultative Group in order to tease out the details because essentially it's a framework that's in place and the details have to be developed.
“We want them to cease their action because it's having a very significant impact on people, on their homes and their livelihoods, on the services. It's very, very regrettable the effects it's having. It's an excessive action. It's disproportionate to what the issues at hand are."
