UNISON maintains its strong support for water company employees and staff at the Environment Agency (EA) that face intense public criticism amid the ongoing crisis in England’s water sector as highlighted in the recent Channel 4 programme Dirty Business.
The union sympathises with public anger about sewage discharges, pollution incidents, executive pay and rising bills as entirely understandable. But the engineers, treatment operators, environmental scientists, flood defence teams and customer service staff who keep services running did not create this crisis.
Many UNISON members report feeling demoralised and unfairly targeted as the sector faces intense media scrutiny. At the same time, they continue to work around the clock – often under significant operational and financial constraints – to protect public health and the environment.
UNISON’s national secretary for water Donna Rowe-Merriman said: “Water workers and EA staff are highly skilled engineers, scientists, environmental specialists, technicians, and customer service staff who work around the clock to keep water flowing and protect rivers and coastlines.
“They are passionate environmentalists who carry out vital monitoring, enforcement, and flood defence work – often under severe resource constraints after years of funding cuts. They want clean rivers and seas as much as the public does. They live in the same communities and share the same concerns.
“UNISON represents thousands of dedicated frontline workers across privatised water companies and the EA. These staff are not responsible for the corporate decisions, regulatory failures or historic underinvestment that have led to public anger over sewage discharges, infrastructure failures and rising bills and should not be scapegoated.”
UNISON believes that at this critical moment for the future of England’s water system, those delivering essential services deserve respect, proper resources and a meaningful voice in shaping reform.
Ms Rowe-Merriman added: “The people working in our water companies and the EA are not the villains in this story – they are the ones holding the system together.
“Our members did not drain billions out of the sector in dividends and complex financial structures while pipes crumbled and treatment works aged. They did not choose short-term returns over long-term resilience.
“If we are serious about restoring public trust and cleaning up England’s rivers and coastlines, we must confront the root cause: a privatisation model that has delivered what we knew it would – lining the pockets of big business to the detriment of the environment and human health.
“It is time to bring England’s water companies back into public ownership — accountable, transparent and run in the public interest. Only then can we guarantee sustained investment, proper workforce planning and environmental protection as the priority, not profit.”
UNISON is calling for:
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England’s water companies to be brought back into public ownership
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Long-term investment in infrastructure and environmental protection
- Proper funding for the Environment Agency to strengthen monitoring and enforcement
- Safe staffing levels across water companies
- A reset of the sector that puts public interest, environmental protection and workforce expertise as it’s primary mission.
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