Labour senator Denis Landy has criticised the Government's decision to take away bonuses for all Irish Water staff.
He said that lower paid staff on €25,000-€40,000 a year should keep their bonus.
However, the senator welcomed the fact that bonuses for senior staff at Irish Water had been stopped.
Members of the Seanad were making statements in response to last week's revamped water package announced by the Government.
After Minister of State Paudie Coffey addressed the Upper House, Fianna Fáil senator Marc MacSharry said "Irish Water is an unmitigated disaster".
Fine Gael senator Cáit Keane said that Ireland was the only OECD country without domestic water charges and there was no choice but to correct the system.
She said that Irish Water would save €170m on the upgrade of the Ringsend Wastewater Scheme.
Independent senator Katherine Zappone said the installation of water meters should be halted.
She said the Government's attempt to deal with the Irish Water crisis had failed.
Ms Zappone said she would be taking part in the peaceful protest against water charges on 10 December.
Independent Senator David Norris said that the bonuses should be gone forever.
He said that "this is not about water, this is about the straw that breaks the camel's back".
He added: "People have had enough. They have no more money."
Fine Gael's Terry Brennan commended the Government for listening to the people, although he said that perhaps it was a little too long in coming.
Fianna Fáil senator Mary White said there had been a massive climbdown by the Government.
She said Irish Water had been been a complete debacle and that Fianna Fáil was proposing a new national water infrastructure company, which would be drastically cut down to 100 staff.
She said that there should be an immediate pause on water charges until the infrastructure was fixed.
Sinn Féin senator David Cullinane criticised former environment minister Phil Hogan's handling of Irish Water and the way he was now in an EU job that pays €300,000 per year.
Independent senator Sean Barrett said the Government had stumbled through the water charges issue.
He said it had been a disaster and the off-balance sheet issue was a piece of hocus pocus.
He said there was now a managerialist system with low productivity, and a PR system based on Vlad the Impaler with the amount of damage done.
The leader of the upper house, Fine Gael's Maurice Cummins, said the Government had listened to what people were saying and responded accordingly.
Fianna Fáil's Mark Daly said people were against Irish Water because of the waste and the cost.
Labour senator John Gilory said he was surprised to hear Fianna Fáil say it was opposed to water charges when it proposed them.
Senator Terry Craughwell said as a trade unionist he wanted to know how the Government was going to undo the contracts in Irish Water.
He said he wanted to put it on record that he supported the idea of having a water utility. But he did not think they could meet the enormous schedule of repairs.
Fianna Fáil senator Thomas Byrne said it was e-voting to the power of ten.
He said the public were not accepting it and Irish Water had to be abolished.
