80 anti-water charge protests planned for Saturday

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 30 Oktober 2014 | 22.40

The Right2Water campaign has said there will be protests against water charges in more than 80 locations across Ireland on Saturday.

Twenty of the planned protests will be in Dublin and the rest will be in towns and cities across the country. 

A number of TDs joined union representatives outside Leinster House this morning to announce details of the protests.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said that 70 protests were confirmed as of today, but more were expected.

Independent TD Clare Daly said the Irish people are becoming emboldened after years of austerity, saying "they are off their knees and not going back".

Paul Murphy of the Anti-Austerity Alliance said the 750,000 homes that had sent back their Irish Water application packs probably did not realise the scale of the opposition and he called on them to join Saturday's protests.

Unions and groups that are part of the campaign said the only good thing to come out of Irish Water was that it had united the country.

Sinn Féin councillor Daithi Doolan said around 100,000 people are expected to take part in the protests.

He described the protests held on 11 October as a turning point for the campaign and said the Government is "on the ropes and are punch drunk on this issue".

Mr Doolan said Saturday will mark the next level of the campaign in which it aims to put maximum pressure on the Government.

Earlier, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin said there is a view that bonuses should not be paid at Irish Water as it is a new company.

However, he added that the issue is a matter for the board.

"I don't think there is any appetite for bonuses in any utility that's establishing for the first time.

"Let the utility be established and then look at what commercial supports can be provided for the people who work in that utility."

Mr Howlin also said that huge investment is needed for the "integrated entity" that can borrow money off the State's balance sheet.

He said the Government is making an unanswerable case for the existence of a utility that will provide quality, clean water to every household in the State.

The minister said it is an important national objective for Ireland's economic future and for the well-being of families, but acknowledged that the public has lost confidence in Irish Water and this needs to be addressed.

A spokesperson for Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly said the pay model in Irish Water would be reviewed, but the expectation in the department is that no bonuses would be paid in the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, senior management at Irish Water are taking part in a series of regional briefings with city and county councillors around Ireland.

The company has so far hosted seven briefings covering councillors from 24 local authorities giving updates on events and plans within Irish Water.

Gardaí in Cork were called to a briefing for local councillors this morning, which was disrupted by protesters.

Councillors arriving at the meeting expressed their frustration with the newly-established water utility, calling it a fiasco.

Around 24 councillors from Cork city and county, from Kerry County Council and from Clare were at today's Irish Water briefing, which was later suspended because of the protests.


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