Munster homes and businesses brace for impact of boil water notices

Strikes are interrupting safe water supply on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

Unite says workers feel forced to strike by a continued lack of meaningful engagement by local authorities and their representative body, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) on water service workers’ employment terms when they move from local authorities to Uisce Éireann. File picture: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Businesses across Munster are bracing for potentially huge disruption as some 100,000 premises are put on a boil water notice.

Strikes are interrupting safe water supply to homes and businesses on Thursday and Friday, having begun on Wednesday, leading to boil water notices in parts of Cork, Waterford, and Tipperary, which may last several days.

The strikes, led by the Unite trade union, have been slammed as "unnecessary and excessive" by Uisce Éireann, formerly Irish Water.

Tom Cuddy, head of asset operations with the State-owned water utility company, said just 120 people out of 6,000 employees are striking and every one striking worker would impact supply to 1,000 people. He said it is an excessive imposition on whole communities.

“It’s their third round of action and it’s probably going to affect 100,000 people or more with boil water notices.

“Some big users — we have food processers, cafes, restaurants, some businesses — are very reliant on large amounts of water and they are not in a position to boil it.

“It’s a big challenge on households, care homes, vulnerable customers, people who have prepared for events or celebrations who may now have to cancel them."

Workers 'feel forced' to strike

Unite says workers feel forced to strike by a continued lack of meaningful engagement by local authorities and their representative body, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) on water service workers’ employment terms when they move from local authorities to Uisce Éireann.

The LGMA said it is "quite willing” to meet with Unite but that a meeting must involve other unions in the Ictu group of water services unions.

As the dispute grinds on, businesses are grappling with the sudden water restrictions.

Hospitality could face a 75%-80% reduction in trade at peak summer season due to the boil water notice, claimed Michael Mulcahy, president of the Little Island Business Association.

Food processing plants and pharmaceutical companies are also now discussing potentially temporarily shutting down operations due to the boil water notices, he added.

A precautionary boil water notice began in Cork at midnight, affecting some 21,000 homes and businesses supplied by the Glashaboy Water Treatment plant in East Cork.

The boil water notice affects areas including Glanmire, Glounthaune, Little Island, and Carrigtwohill. Precautionary boil water notices have been in place in parts of Waterford and Tipperary since Wednesday.

Unite members will strike across eight local authorities in Cork, Waterford, Kerry, Tipperary, Carlow, and Dublin, although boil water notices have only been issued for areas of Cork, Waterford, and Tipperary.