INDEPENDENT Ireland leader Michael Collins has criticised a €118,000 Uisce Éireann (UÉ) pay rise as public sector workers fight for a fair wage.

The Cork South West TD said the water utility chief’s salary hike was like “a €118,000 pat on the back for doing a bad job” while nurses and teachers struggle to make ends meet.

He demanded accountability after the pay package for the top job at Uisce Éireann was increased to almost €392,000 amid what he described as missed targets and mounting questions over performance

Deputy Collins questioned how such an increase can be justified when UÉ continues to face questions over performance, accountability and the delivery of essential services.

The criticism comes as more than 300,000 public sector workers, including nurses, doctors and teachers, have taken industrial action in a dispute over pay.

Deputy Collins said it was difficult to explain to ordinary working people how such a substantial increase could be awarded while frontline workers were being forced to take to the streets to secure fair pay. Just months after farmers, hauliers, contractors and hardworking people took to the streets during the fuel protests.

“An increase of €118,000 in one year is an incredible rise by any ordinary standard. Yet nurses, doctors and teachers are having to take industrial action to have their concerns about pay addressed. This is happening just months after farmers, contractors, hauliers and ordinary working people were forced to protest in their hundreds of thousands over the price of fuel.

“Uisce Éireann is responsible for an essential public service. Households and businesses need reliable water supplies, communities need infrastructure, and people are entitled to expect that public money is being spent effectively.

“Yet the Public Accounts Committee has been told that almost 97% of eligible staff received performance-related bonuses in 2025, totalling approximately €17.6m, while the utility has also faced regulatory action over missed targets. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities imposed a €31m negative revenue adjustment linked to underperformance on targets including leakage and non-domestic billing.”

Deputy Collins asked where the evidence was that the system is delivering value for money, adding: “Where are the measurable improvements, the clear timelines and the accountability when targets are missed?

“Simply telling the public that a pay and bonus structure is market-based or performance-related is not enough. It is particularly difficult to understand this situation at a time when public sector workers are being asked to fight for fair pay, despite delivering essential services every day.

“Taxpayers deserve answers, not excuses. They deserve to know what their money is delivering and who is accountable when it falls short.”

Deputy Collins called on UÉ and the Government to provide clear, measurable evidence of performance improvements, explain the basis for senior pay increases and ensure that remuneration arrangements are directly linked to demonstrable results.