Unions members at the company last month voted to take action against the company in a row over pensions. And their refusal to work overtime meant that broken water pumps, bad weather and electricity faults left 9,000 homes across Northern Ireland without water at one point. But following a meeting with NI Water today [January 21], the unions involved are reportedly recommending that NI Water staff take the ‘improved deal’. The Water Group of Trade Unions said it was “satisfied that sufficient progress has been made to allow us to consult with our members on the offer put to us”. It added: “The immediate focus of our members today is to work to support NI Water in restoring services to customers across Northern Ireland, particularly in the west.” Chief Executive of NI Water, Sara Venning said: “This is welcome news and my continued focus is now on working with our staff to restore services to all our customers.” The BBC also reported how Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy has welcomed the news. “This is positive news for the public, especially those in the west who have experienced significant disruption to their water supply,” he said. “The unions will now have to ballot their members.”