This weekend Water Services Workers supported by their union Unite led a public water protest in Cork on Grand Parade. Unending complaints of undrinkable unusable water from Uisce Eireann provision in places like Gurranabraher have driven communities around Cork to protest first. The Water Workers themselves organised the event. The Cork Echo reported 150 participants.
Local People Before Profit representative Shane Laird attended the public water protest in Cork, as did members of at least four other left parties. There were sharp speeches from the leaders of the Water Services Workers Ireland campaign which has run for 3 years protesting the broken promises from government and unions who they say have side-stepped or abandoned their commitments and issues. Politicians laid the blame on government who have cynically dropped the promised referendum on water from the Independent-backed Programme for Government.
Laird paid tribute to these fighting workers who have taken huge risks to keep their employment, their unions, and the future of water provision safe for 3 years.
'I'm hopeful to see this build into a wider movement. The "Keep Water Public - Name the Date" Campaign is a start but we need to get the demand for the referendum in front of the people nationally. It's good this happened here first: Cork is where the water is dirtiest now but it's where the solutions are clear: we need a referendum now to keep our water and its provision, maintenance and supply public.'
People Before Profit holds these workers up as examples of a national workers' campaign that has won over support from their unions and will win over the public. We continue to stand in support.
Water is a human right. We need water supply and maintenance owned and operated by the state with no involvement by corporations.
See John Mullins' speech here: https://youtu.be/0y2Pm4VPJMU
