5,000 WORKERS ACROSS Northern Ireland’s health, transport, education and civil service sectors are to stage a mass walkout later this month, in protest against the breakdown of public sector pay talks.
The action from members of 14 different trade unions comes after a breakdown in public sector pay talks, as the issue has become somewhat of a political football amid negotiations to secure the return of the Stormont Executive, which is currently being vetoed by the DUP.
Unions are promising that it will be the biggest day of strike action in the history of Northern Ireland.
8,000 Unite union members will take part, alongside 5000 GMB union, and thousands from other organisations.
Teachers, nurses, public transport workers, and civil servants will take part in the day of generalised action which is to take place on 18 January.
The GMB trade union said its members are taking part following a vote to strike after the Secretary of State Chris Heaton Harris made no offer to provide the level of funding being sought for public sector pay.
There are also wider frustrations about a lack of funding in the health sector amongst the union’s members, a spokesperson for the union said.
GMB senior organiser Alan Perry said that its members have simply “had enough”.
“They will not be used as political pawns in a process that would see the return of the Northern Ireland Executive.
“The Secretary of State made it clear that money is there; he must do the honourable thing and make it available now to address the concerns of members who desperately need it,” Perry added.
Unite deputy regional secretary Davy Thompson told the Good Morning Ulster programme that he is aware the mass walkout will cause disruption to the public.
“Is the impact on the public next Thursday greater than the decade of under-investment in our public services? I would suggest no,” Thompson said.
He accused Heaton-Harris of using public sector pay as a “bargaining chip in a game of politics”, and said that it has been made clear the money is there, but is being withheld.
At the end of last year, four days of strike action by Translink workers across three weekends of December caused major disruption to retail and hospitality.
Previously, a boost in public sector pay rates was offered to Stormont parties – to the sum of £584m, as part of a £3.3 bn package that sought to secure the return of the Northern Ireland Executive.
However, the DUP opted not to accept the offer, and the money set aside to sort out public sector pay issues was rescinded along with the rest of the Westminster package.
Now, with tens of thousands of workers taking part in a day of strike action next Thursday, more pressure will be building on the DUP to accept a deal that will get Stormont up and running again.
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