Image description: A person casting a vote in a box. Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union at Ofwat are set to ballot on whether to strike over the lack of clarity about their future job security.

It has been over a year since Defra endorsed the recommendation of the Cunliffe Review to abolish Ofwat and replace it with a new integrated “super regulator”. PCS says members at Ofwat are still waiting for answers about their future from the watchdog and sponsor ministry the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Importantly for the staff affected by the reforms, the Commission acknowledged that some of its proposals would be complex and lengthy and had the “potential to create significant uncertainty”. It therefore recommended that the UK and Welsh governments produce transition plans covering the water regulators, the water industry and investors. It also recommended an implementation advisory group to support the process.

PCS says staff are still waiting for answers about their future

PCS is demanding that they retain civil service status and rights as part of the reorganisation and that there are no redundancies or compulsory relocations. Additionally, the union is seeking protection for pay, terms and conditions, and wider working conditions.

It also said Ofwat staff fear the creation of “another weak regulator that is unable to challenge the private interests that dominate the sector”.

The union members will vote on whether to take strike action or action short of a strike between 28 September and 19 October, unless Ofwat or the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) provide assurances on their demands over job security, the retention of civil service status, and the protection of pay.