Water service reform may cost 600 jobs

Up to 600 jobs may be lost following reforms of the Water Service in Northern Ireland.

Regional Development Minister Angela Smith said a major efficiency programme could lead to the loss of 500 to 600 jobs in the sector over the next five to seven years.

Ms Smith said centralisation of the organisation and the closure of some offices and depots was under consideration.

However, she insisted every effort would be made to avoid the need for compulsory redundancies.

“We have informed Water Service staff and trade unions that the figure of between 500 and 600 fewer posts has emerged from work on the efficiency programme,” she said.

“This will be the subject of further examination in light of the needs of the Service and of affordability.

“We have highlighted measures to manage the reductions and to minimise the impact on Water Service staff.

“These include natural wastage through normal age retirements and staff turnover, retraining and redeployment of staff to other Agencies and Departments in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, early retirements and voluntary redundancies.

“Every effort will be made to avoid the need for compulsory redundancies,” she added.

The prospective job losses form part of a major restructuring of the service which will also include the introduction of water charges of up to £400-a-year (€584) by April 2006.

The package of measures is intended to allow the water sector to become self-financing and bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK where consumers already pay for water.

Ms Smith served notice of the charges last month when she launched a public consultation on the future of the water sector, which needs investment totalling £3bn (€4.4bn) to meet European standards.

She said reform of the water sector was necessary if charges paid by households in the future are to be fair and affordable.

The options for restructuring the Water Service range from privatisation, a public-private partnership to a government-owned company.

Ms Smith said today: “It is clear that whichever one of the five business models outlined in the consultation document emerges from the consultation process as the preferred model, a major programme of efficiency will be required to ensure that costs are reduced and that standards of service are maintained or improved.

“Measures under consideration include the centralisation of functions, which could lead to the closure of some offices and depots, improvements in procurement procedures and investment in increased use of technology.”

The minister also said Water Service reforms would free resources up for other key public services, such as health, education, roads and transport.

The minister urged people from throughout Northern Ireland to ensure that they put forward their views on the water reform issues.

A series of public meetings are being held across the North throughout April and May.

The public consultation period will run until June 20 and will include public meetings and the posting of information leaflets to all households.

The first public meeting will be held in Omagh Leisure Centre on Wednesday night.