Water workers in Kerry County Council were joined by workers from Cork on Friday 28/10/22 at their SIPTU office continuing water workers ongoing national campaign for Irish Water to be secured in public ownership by a constitutional referendum before they are their Council-Irish Water Service Level Agreement (SLA) is set to end on 1 January 2023.
This is the first time workers have staged a protest locally at the local SIPTU office. A picket was held outside SIPTU office in Tralee. It was aimed they said as much at the union leadership as at Kerry County Council. They took one day of annual leave. About 100 workers were involved according to local media reports.
The protestors highlighted changes to their earnings, grievances about democracy in their union around the Framework Agreement for the early end to the SLA, and the risks of the privatisation of public water.
To understand just how disastrous the privatisation of national utility companies can be, see the shambles that became of Eir after privatisation.
One of the SIPTU activists on the picket line today, Owen Horgan, said,
‘The workers were demanding that SIPTU hold a ballot on the proposals for Irish Water and that the Government hold a referendum to enshrine in the Irish Constitution a state guarantee that Irish Water will remain in public ownership’.
People Before Profit fully support the campaign by rank and file SIPTU members to keep Irish Water in public ownership.
