Tánaiste’s Cork office gets petition to hold referendum on public ownership of water

The 3,000 water service workers still based in local authorities want this referendum held before they agree to transfer over to working for Irish Water

(Left to right) Billy O’Connor, James Coughlan, TD Mick Barry, Kieran Ginnifer, Cllr Ted Tynan and John Mullins outside Micheál Martin’s constituency office in Turner's Cross where council water workers and public representatives handed in nearly 1000 postcards signed by the Cork public calling for a referendum to keep water in public ownership. Picture: Chani Anderson

Local authority water workers have delivered over 1,000 signatures to the Tánaiste’s constituency office calling on him to fulfil a government pledge to hold a referendum on keeping water in public ownership.

The signatures, gathered as part of the Keep Water Public - Name The Date postcard campaign, supported by Siptu, Unite, Forsa, Connect and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, were handed in to Micheál Martin's office in Turner's Cross, on the southside of Cork City, on Tuesday.