NI Water has confirmed that non-frontline NIPSA union members will begin industrial action relating to a dispute over pay arrangements, with a one-day strike planned for 31 December and a work-to-rule starting on 1 January.
NI Water’s Director of People & Learning, Rose Kelly, explained:
“While we are keen to avoid any form of action, we want to reassure the public that we will make every effort to minimise impact on NI Water’s operational services.”
“Ministers Kimmins and O’Dowd have authorised pay awards in line with the wider public sector for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 that have been accepted by our frontline unions Unite and GMB.
This dispute relates to NIPSA’s demand for recognition of multiple collective bargaining units for non‑frontline staff.”
“NI Water has a pay offer ready and has encouraged NIPSA to submit a pay claim for all non-frontline employees to enable pay negotiations to commence without delay. We are committed to finding a way forward to ensure all our employees receive their pay settlement as quickly as possible.”
The ballot does not include NI Water frontline employees who have accepted the 24/25 & 25/26 pay award.
Ther water company said it has robust contingency planning arrangements in place and will seek to minimise the impact of any industrial action taken.
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
bNovate has launched BactoCloud, a secure cloud-based platform that connects and manages its BactoSense instruments, enabling real-time monitoring and optimization of microbial water quality.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.