Water service workers in ten local authorities who are members of the Unite trade union are taking strike action today.
The union said it is seeking a commitment that water staff transferring from local authorities to Uisce Éireann will retain their public service status.
Today's strike action involves more than 100 Unite members who are engaging in a 24-hour withdrawal of labour and have placed pickets at various locations across the country.
The local authorities impacted are Fingal County Council, South Dublin County Council, Louth County Council, Waterford City and County Council, Carlow County Council, Tipperary County Council, Cork City and County Council and Galway City Council.
Unite Regional Secretary Susan Fitzgerald visited the picket outside Waterford City Council's offices today.
"Our members are looking for management to sit and answer the questions we have about the future of the service and the future of our members' conditions," Ms Fitzgerald said.
"None of that has been answered satisfactorily and how could it be when management have refused to sit down and engage with Unite - that's the crux of this dispute, it's about basic respect," she added.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said it is working with Uisce Éireann and local authorities to ensure the continued supply of water services.
Unite said it is seeking the strengthening of existing commitments regarding protection of local authority workers involved in water services delivery and a removal of service and age barriers for those wishing to avail of redundancy options.
The dispute follows Unite members' decision to reject the 'Framework for the Future Delivery of Water Services' document put forward by the Workplace Relations Commission last year.
A spokesperson for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said that the framework is the right way forward as it sets out what will become available for workers and empowers them to decide voluntarily on the option which is best suited to their own individual needs.
"The demands by Unite are not in line with the approach taken by the other unions representing water services workers as part of the ICTU group of unions," the Department said.
"Recent commitments given by Minister Darragh O'Brien to water services workers on protection of earnings and allowances should provide adequate reassurance to Unite members that they will benefit from the multiple options available to them under the Framework," the spokesperson added.
