The DFP has approved a new deal put forward by the water trade of unions – the GMB, Unite, and Nipsa – in full.
Union members now need to be balloted for the proposals to be formally accepted, but the unions have said they will recommend their members to accept the deal.
In a statement, NI Water said the approval by the DFP “now allows the process to move forward and NI Water and the water group of unions have met to discuss the next steps.”
The agreement comes after the deadline for the DFP to approve the package was pushed back twice.
When members formally accept the deal, the industrial action – which has been suspended since 22 January whilst negotiations took place – will come to an end. During the action, union members withdrew from working any overtime and refused to provide on-call services.
More than 1,000 members of the trade unions started industrial action in December because of changes to the pension scheme, which the GMB claimed would have cost staff up to £100 per month.
The action was escalated on 7 January when the union members agreed to pull out of a goodwill arrangement that was struck between the parties over the festive and New Year period.
A previous pension package was “rejected outright” in mid-January, and industrial action continued, resulting in more than 10,000 properties without water at the peak of the disruption.