Unions reject NI Water pay deal

Trade unions have rejected proposals by Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) designed to end the ongoing industrial action over pensions.

The offer was “rejected outright” on Friday by members of the three trade unions that make up the Water Group of Trade Unions – GMB, Unite, and Nipsa.

GMB regional officer Alan Perry told Utility Week the union members rejected the pay offer because there was “no guarantee” from the Government of Northern Ireland Finance and Personnel Department (DFP) on the new pay settlement.

Perry added: “If they were to say we will do a, b, c, and d – and if that was put to our members – they probably would accept it. But the difficulty is the DFP won’t come out and say that and that’s where we’re at because our members cannot live on false promises at the moment.”

More than 1,000 members of the trade unions started industrial action on 22 December because of changes to the pension scheme, which the GMB claims will cost members up to £100 per month.

The action was escalated on 7 January when the union members agreed to pull out of a goodwill arrangement that was struck between the parties over the festive and New Year period.

NI Water said the latest offer included “further revisions” to the proposed pension arrangements and also contained “a number of other initiatives”.

These included the collaboration of bonuses, increased holiday entitlement, a removal of cap on overtime, increases in on-call allowances, and the promise to present jointly a 2014 pay proposal which would mitigate the impact of the increased pension contributions for employees over the next three years.

A NI Water spokesperson said the company would “do all that it can to minimise the disruption to services and remains on high alert” but warned that the ongoing industrial action will hit its services.

Dialogue between the DFP, NI Water and the trade unions, via the Labour Relations Agency, are continuing.