Despite some progress, AquaGib and Unite yet to resolve pay dispute

AquaGib and Unite the Union have made some progress toward resolving a pay dispute that last week threatened the supply of potable water after industrial action at the reverse osmosis plant.

Unite said the strike action last week was lawful but claims the company is intent on taking disciplinary steps against those involved.

That prospect remains a sticking point between the two sides.

Operations at the plant were temporarily halted last Friday as AquaGib workers commenced strike action over allowances.

The industrial action prompted the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, to chair a Civil Contingencies Committee meeting that day to assess the impact of the outage and mitigate against any further action which could threaten the production or supply of water.

The strike action was called off later that afternoon, with the workers returning to work pending a meeting which took place on Monday at AquaGib’s premises.

AquaGib and Unite are “currently going back and forth on one particular issue”, a spokesperson for the union told the Chronicle on Tuesday.

“There have been discussions around a way forward which could be acceptable in terms of a review, but we have a sticking point around the employer’s insistence to take disciplinary action against workers that have engaged in lawful industrial action.”

A spokesperson for AquaGib told the Chronicle that its position on the pay claim is unchanged and that the team of eight employees at the reverse osmosis plant are all included in the claim.

“The company is also committed to the company-wide review that is scheduled to take place shortly and any conclusions that are drawn by the external and independent third party during this review,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said AquaGib will take any action necessary to make sure that water production and supply will not be affected by the dispute.

“The company has a variety of options at its disposal if industrial action is repeated, and these were discussed at the Civil Contingencies Committee meeting on Friday.”

“The company, in collaboration with the Gibraltar Government, will take whatever action is necessary to ensure that water production and supply to the public is unaffected by this dispute.”

When asked whether there will be disciplinary matters for the employees engaged in the pay claim, the spokesperson said: “Any question of discipline is a matter for AquaGib management to discuss and decide upon, and the company will not comment on disciplinary matters.”

The Government said it is aware that a meeting took place on Monday between the Union and AquaGib, adding that Gemma Arias-Vasquez, the Chair of the AquaGib Board, attended the meeting.

It reiterated that any future strike action will not affect water supply on the Rock.

“The Government will use any legislative powers necessary to ensure the continued supply of water is not affected by any future industrial action,” a Government spokesman said.

“The Government, nonetheless, is committed to ensuring the right to strike is protected, so long as it does not affect the continued supply of water.”