Potential ‘disruption to water services’ in some areas on Friday due to strike action

More than 100 members of the union are due to take part in the action which is scheduled to start at midnight. Photograph: iStock

Uisce Éireann has warned of “potential localised disruption to water services,” on Friday as members of Unite working in the water services of local authorities take strike action.

In a statement on Friday, the organisation said its incident management team was “assessing the potential impact of any industrial action and we are continuing to engage with management in each Local Authority to put appropriate plans in place to ensure the continued supply of water services”.

It said that while the dispute is not with Uisce Éireann, “it may have some limited impact on Uisce Éireann customers in some areas”.

It said updates on services updates on local water services would be available at water.ie and via Twitter @IWCare Customers with specific queries or concerns should contact our 24/7 customer contact centre at 1800 278 278, it added.

More than 100 members of the union are due to take part in the action which is scheduled to start at midnight. They are in dispute over the terms on which it is proposed they transfer to Uisce Éireann from local authorities or transfer to other roles within councils.

The union is also looking for guarantees in relation to the holding of a referendum on the public ownership of water infrastructure. A dispute involving many of the same issues involving Siptu members was settled earlier this month after Minister for Housing and Local Government, Darragh O’Brien, gave assurances with regard to the income of affected workers.