Thousands of local authority workers are to become employees of Irish Water

A once-off incentive payment of €3,000 will be made to each local authority staff member who becomes an Irish Water employee before the end of 2026, under the terms of the agreed framework.

Thousands of local authority workers are to become employees of Irish Water by 2026 after a significant agreement was reached to secure their status.

Under the terms of the deal, council workers currently providing water services in their areas are to become full and direct employees of Irish Water, and can if they chose become eligible for performance-related bonuses.