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

We have been waiting for a referendum and a wording to come forward for six years. It has been six months since the policy document was published and we still await wording and a date. It is an absolute disgrace. I have received correspondence from water service workers. They say they want a referendum now. The wording must be that the ownership of water and water service are to remain public. Terms and conditions of local authority water workers do not include allowances and regular and rostered overtime. Allowances and regular rostered overtime and on-call allowance must be red-circled in the water framework document. Those allowances are pensionable. They can stay in the local authority but they may not be in the same position. They might be in parks or maintenance and they are not carrying their rostered overtime and the pensionable allowances. They want that red-circled and put in the framework plan and they want a referendum now.

One of the workers told me to tell the Minister to make no mistake: if he tries to force the framework plan on the workers, he will be met with massive nationwide industrial action. We need a referendum on the public ownership now. That is their message to the Government.

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