Three years of failed negotiations have led to strike action at Essential Water.

All four unions represented at the NSW water company stopped work for a 24-hour period late last week, the latest in various industrial actions undertaken in the last six months.

The dispute is currently stuck on Essential Water’s attempts to cap payouts for voluntary redundancies at 52 weeks, a plan that the union members reject.

Essential Water general manager Luke Jenner said a skeleton crew stayed worked shifts in the company’s workshop during the strike

“We've got contingency plans in place to ensure the industrial action that's taking place at the moment will have minimal impact on the communities that we support in Broken Hill, but we do support the rights of the unions to take industrial action,” he said.

The latest strike should be the last industrial action taken until a Fair Work commissioner arrives later this month.

A sit-down between unions and Essential Water and the commissioner has been scheduled for February 22.

Local CFMEU chief Greg Braes said the commissioner’s presence could bring the potential for a resolution.

“I think it's showing commitment to Broken Hill, I think it's showing commitment to members of all the unions and all the Essential Water people, because I'm sure the commissioners are very busy,” he said.

Mr Jenner said Essential would not be changing the terms of its offer.

“At the last meeting, which was several weeks ago, we put forward an enhanced offer in an effort to try and conclude an agreement with the unions,” Mr Jenner said.

“We'll actually be looking for the unions to put forward an offer to us to show what they think we can do collectively to reach a common agreement.”