Water service workers are staging a protest in Cork City today calling for government commitments to keep water services in public ownership. The demonstration, organized by Unite union and the “Keep Water Public” campaign, will take place on the Grand Parade this afternoon.
According to The Journal, the protesters are demanding that the government set a specific date for a referendum on maintaining public ownership of water services. Their concerns have been heightened by what Unite describes as a “crisis” in Cork’s water supply following Uisce Éireann’s decision to outsource a local water treatment plant.
Parts of Cork City have been experiencing “brown water” issues, with tests conducted by the union allegedly showing manganese levels exceeding 300 μg/l (against a parametric value of 50) and iron levels over 600 μg/l (against a parametric value of 200). The laboratory performing these tests reportedly deemed the water unsafe for consumption.
“The people of Cork are entitled to a safe water supply managed by accountable public-sector water service workers, rather than private contractors,” said Susan Fitzgerald, Unite’s Irish secretary, who called for immediate government intervention to address the contamination concerns.
Union official Eoin Drummey added that the protest aims to send a “clear message” to the government about addressing both the immediate water quality issues affecting Cork households and the broader question of water service ownership.