STRIKING NI Water staff have cut water supplies to a large number of homes in the Dungiven area this evening.
It came within an hour of local politicians being warned by NI Water managers of the supply cuts.
It’s also understood that hundreds of customers won’t have their water supply restored until Monday at the earliest.
More supply cuts are expected in the Derry and Strabane areas over the next 24 hours.
George Butler from NI Water described it as a “deteriorating situation”.
“The industrial action means that the unions only allow their staff to work between eight and four during the week, so outside of those hours, we don’t have cover for the water treatment works or the distribution works and that’s what’s causing the problem,” he said.
Nipsa, Unite and GMB members voted last month for a work-to-rule and withdrawal of on-call services and overtime in a row over pensions.
NI Water said it remained “committed to continued engagement” with trade unions in an effort to resolve the dispute.
The company stressed that the key demand that pension reform be delayed was not “within its gift to provide” and said dialogue rather than causing disruption represented the best way forward.
Last weekend, about 10,000 customers in counties Fermanagh and Tyrone were left without water after a pump at a treatment plant in Enniskillen broke down.
Tags:
