SCOTTISH Water staff will stage a two-day strike amid a continued dispute over pay.
Workers will walk out on Tuesday and Wednesday following a one-day strike last month.
Unison, which represents more than 1000 staff, warned that emergency repairs and water quality checks will not be carried out during that time.
Problems reported with water supply, sewage, or drainage also will not be dealt with until the strike is over, the union added.
But Scottish Water has said that “contingency plans are in place to enable us to maintain normal service”.
The union has rejected a 2.6% pay offer, amounting to at least £1050, saying it “fails to compensate staff for a decade of real-term pay cuts”.
Unison Scotland regional organiser Emma Phillips said: “Strike action is always a last resort.
“Staff have suffered a decade of pay deals that haven’t kept up with inflation.
“They are not willing to be underpaid any longer.
Unison Scottish Water branch secretary Tricia McArthur added: “Scottish Water workers are simply asking to be paid fairly for the essential services upon which everyone in Scotland relies.
“Things are meant to be different in a publicly owned service like this.
“But senior managers are behaving no differently to those running private water companies south of the border.”
Peter Farrer, Scottish Water’s chief operating officer, said: “No-one benefits from industrial action, and our focus is on continuing to deliver for our millions of customers across Scotland.
“Our above-inflation pay proposal is fair and progressive, prioritising the highest percentage increases in the business for those on the lowest salary grades – money that should be in employees’ pockets now.
“We met with Acas and the trade unions on April 15 to explore options to resolve the current dispute. Following that, we made a different, further improved proposal in an effort to reach an agreement.
“This is a good proposal, and we are disappointed that union officials have not shared it with their members and given them the opportunity to vote on the offer in a ballot.
“We urge the unions to get back round the negotiating table as soon as possible.”
