Water Service Workers Ireland

03/08/2026

Water Service Workers have not forgotten about Unite the unions betrayal of workers.

When the Water Services Framework document was put before us, it had the potential to fundamentally change our working lives by giving Irish Water/Uisce Éireann unprecedented influence over our future.

Yet instead of Unite immediately standing with its members, we had to march on Unite the Union, Republic of Ireland headquarters in Dublin simply to demand a democratic vote.

Think about that.

Union members had to protest against their own union just to be given a say.

It wasn't Unite's industrial strength that won that vote. It was ordinary members who stood together, refused to be ignored, and forced the leadership to listen.

Had we not done so, Unite members could have been railroaded just like SIPTU, Fórsa and Connect members, who were never given the opportunity to reject the Framework.

After members rejected the Framework, Unite's conference in Malahide passed a motion calling for a campaign for a referendum on water. Members expected a serious national campaign.

Instead, we got a few press releases, a couple of radio interviews and then silence.

We were told the union was "moving in a different direction" less political and more industrial. 😤

That raises an obvious question.
How were water charges defeated?

Not by staying silent.

They were defeated because unions and communities organised, campaigned, lobbied politicians and put enormous pressure on the Government. It became one of the greatest victories for working people in recent Irish history.

So why abandon a strategy that worked?

Since Sharon Graham became General Secretary, Unite has, our view, turned its back on the type of political campaigning that wins real change.

Instead of empowering members to build national campaigns and challenge governments, the focus has shifted elsewhere.

For water workers, that has meant watching our concerns ignored until we forced ourselves onto the agenda.

Leadership is about standing with members before they have to march on their own union not after.

This election is about whether Unite belongs to its members or whether members are expected to simply accept decisions made from the top.

That is why we will NOT be voting for Sharon Graham.

WE will be voting for Simon Says, Take Back Your Union because we believe Unite needs to return to being a democratic, member led union that is prepared to fight industrially and politically when workers' futures are on the line.

It's time to give the union back to its members.

Unite Construction ROI
Unite Community ROI
Unite the Union, Republic of Ireland

29/06/2026

Head of Irish Water being paid over €1,300 every working day. Water should be in hands of local authorities and democratically run by the water workers themselves.

22/06/2026

⛽️ TO INCREASE TAX AGAIN ON FUEL IS A TAX ON WORKERS

It's time for unions to stop standing in the background and start leading this fight. Working people need more than statements and press releases.

They need a movement prepared to stand up and challenge policies that are making ordinary workers poorer.
If unions won't fight over the rising cost of living, who will?

Workers are once again being asked to carry the burden while the cost of living continues to spiral.

October 14th Home Heating Oil: +2.1c per litre (+€10.50 on a 500L tank)

Carbon tax increases will also affect gas, coal and other home heating fuels.

By November, filling a standard car or van from empty will cost:

Mid-Size / Large SUV (65-Litre Tank)PetrolCost to fill now:

€117.65Cost to fill now.
After increases: €141.70Total Difference: +€24.05

Diesel Cost to fill now: €119.60
Cost to fill after increases: €145.93
Total Difference: +€26.33

Mid-Size Van (75-Litre Tank)
Diesel Cost to fill now: €138.00
Cost to fill after increases: €168.38Total Difference: +€30.38

This is not just a fuel tax. It is a tax on workers, on families, on commuters and on rural communities that depend on their cars to get to work and provide for their families.

Enough is enough. A labour movement that doesn't stand up to attacks on workers' living standards risks becoming irrelevant.
Fórsa trade union

Unite the Union, Republic of Ireland
Connect Trade Union
Mandate Trade Union
Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation - INMO
International Trade Union Confederation - ITUC
Irish Congress of Trade Unions Communications Workers Union
IWW Union Ireland

21/06/2026

17/06/2026

We need to be recognised as valuable members in a democratic union whereby every opinion counts and every member is valued and supported.
I’m voting for Simon, please see the enclosed pledges from Simon if elected.

Vote

11/05/2026

STAND WITH OUR PARAMEDICS 🚑THEY WATCH OUT FOR US. NOW IT’S OUR TURN.⚡

Water Service Workers Ireland would like to show our solidarity with the National Ambulance Service workers taking industrial action tomorrow. This did not happen overnight. These frontline workers have been pushed to the point where they feel they have no other option left after years of being ignored by the HSE Ireland and Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

This dispute goes back to an independent 2020 Roles and Responsibilities Review which recognised that paramedics, advanced paramedics, EMTs and ambulance supervisors have taken on vastly expanded clinical responsibilities over the last 20 years. Ambulance crews today administer more medications, carry out more advanced lifesaving interventions and operate in a far more demanding environment than ever before. Yet many workers say the recommendations on pay and recognition from that report have still not been properly implemented six years later.

Around 2,000 ambulance personnel voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action after years of frustration, burnout, staffing shortages and increasing pressure across the service. The action begins with work-to-rule measures and escalates into strike action this week.

The HSE itself has warned that ambulance services will be “significantly impacted” during the action, with delays expected for non-life-threatening calls. That should alarm everyone. Nobody on the frontline wants industrial action in an emergency service, but workers have repeatedly said they were left with no choice after years of delays, disputes and broken promises.

This is not just about pay this is about the future of emergency care in Ireland.

When ambulance crews are overstretched, burnt out and leaving the service, it is the public who ultimately pay the price. Delays in emergency response can potentially put lives at risk.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and the HSE cannot continue standing on the sidelines while this crisis deepens. Frontline ambulance workers carried this country through some of its toughest years and deserve more than endless talks and political soundbites. They deserve action, proper staffing, proper recognition and a service that is safe for both workers and patients.

12/04/2026

Fair play to the peaceful protesters standing up and speaking out.
These are not troublemakers these are the hard-working people of Ireland. The same people who get up early, go to work, pay their taxes, and keep this country running.

They shouldn’t have to protest just to be heard, but they’ve been pushed to this point because the bodies that are supposed to represent them simply are not doing their job.

When people feel ignored for long enough, they will take a stand. That’s exactly what’s happening now.

What’s even more disappointing is the silence from the unions.
Where are and the major unions like Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation - INMO Unite the Union, Republic of Ireland Mandate Trade Union. As for they have buried there head in the sand they are afraid to go against government. They are like the AND .

This cost of living crisis especially fuel and energy costs is one of the biggest challenges facing workers in decades. Yet there is no real leadership, no mass organisation, no coordinated days of protest coming from those who are supposed to lead workers.

Unions should be mobilising. They should be organising workers across the country. They should be leading from the front, not staying quiet while people struggle to afford the basics.

And the Government’s response has made things worse. Instead of listening, they have dismissed, criticised, and in some cases spoken about ordinary working people with clear contempt. The language used around these protests has been completely out of touch with the reality people are facing every day.

Peaceful protesters are not the problem. The problem is a Government that refuses to act while people are being squeezed from every direction.

If not now, then when?
Workers are already taking a stand. It’s time for the unions to do the same and it’s time for the Government to start listening.

Because people will remember all of this at the next election.