Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I do not know if the Minister is aware of the situation facing local authority workers who work in water services. Under the current service-level agreement, SLA, these workers, who are employed by local authorities, provide services to Irish Water. Under the terms of the SLA, they can, if they wish, transfer to Irish Water in January 2026. Part of the agreement was that there would be a referendum to enshrine water services under public ownership and management. Recently, a draft framework agreement has been negotiated through the WRC, which brings forward the date of possible transfer to Irish Water to January 2023, which is about 10 weeks away, without any commitment to a referendum on water services being under public ownership and management. This has raised very serious concerns among these workers who, if the framework agreement is implemented, will lose their existing public service status, with concerns about their pension rights they currently have as local authority employees. Part of the agreement is that workers who choose to remain with the local authority will be redeployed. However, the local authority national managers' organisation has indicated that it will not redeploy these workers. To date, the relevant union has not held a ballot of the workers concerned. While the Minister can not do anything about that, I am sure he will agree that it is a serious democratic deficit. One thing the Minister and the Government can do to address these workers' concerns is to give a clear commitment to hold a referendum on water services in public ownership and management. I refer not just to a commitment in a words, but a definite commitment with a date and an outline of the wording of such a referendum.

In 2016 I introduced a Bill based on the wording agreed by the unions involved in the Right2Water campaign, which would bring water services very clearly under public ownership and also importantly, under public management. The Bill passed First Stage without opposition, but has been stuck, or buried, at Committee Stage for six years, with the excuse that we are waiting for possible amendments from both the present and previous Attorneys General. I do not believe any such amendments will ever be produced.

The Business Committee has now agreed that a debate on the future of water services will be taken by the first week in November. Maybe then certain political parties can come forward and honestly declare their true intention on this issue. I can assure the Minister that in discussions and contact that I have had with many of the workers involved, they have told me that they will resist, in every way they can, being railroaded into an agreement without a vote, without a guarantee on their public service status and without a referendum. They will not accept it. Will the Minister and the Government announce a date and wording to enshrine ownership of our water in the Constitution, preventing future privatisation?

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