Health Secretary warns strike will be 'damaging' as action begins today

Around 25,000 healthcare workers are set to take part in industrial action in hospitals across Northern Ireland today (Monday).

Meanwhile, further phased strike action for certain groups of workers is also planned, at different times, in different hospitals throughout the week.

Support staff who are members of the UNISON union at the Ulster hospital and sterile services staff in both Antrim and Belfast city hospitals will stage walk outs on Monday.

Workers at the Ulster Hospital will strike at midday, in Antrim it begins at eight in the morning and in Belfast city hospital the main picket is at 1230.

It comes after the latest pay talks between the Department of Health and health unions collapsed on Friday afternoon.

It is all part of an ongoing row over pay and safe staffing levels.

The Royal College of Nursing was the first union to announce its members had voted for strike action, for the first time in its 103 year history.

They will stage strike action on December 18.

Other unions followed suit and announced a staggered walk out will take place this week, alongside industrial action.

After discussions broke down on Friday, the Permanent Health Secretary urged health unions to call off the planned action, saying it will be 'damaging' and will 'inevitably make the situation worse.'

In a statement Richard Pengelly issued a warning:

"There are widespread concerns that this winter will be particularly challenging for health and social care services here and across these islands.

"We have asked the Trade Unions to defer industrial action as it will inevitably make a difficult situation worse...

"While we believe that the Trade Unions will do all they can to avert adverse impacts on services resulting from industrial action, potentially we are entering a situation where none of us can predict what the consequences might be.

"Trusts and other HSC colleagues have developed contingency plans to mitigate potential disruption as much as possible.

"The continued focus during the period of industrial action will be on the provision of safe care."

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Pengelly also outlined his frustration at the current situation:

"We have worked hard with Trade Unions to make progress in very difficult circumstances.

"In addition to the pay offer, the Department has also proposed an independently facilitated process with unions to develop long term and sustainable solutions on pay and workforce issues.

"This proposal was in line with what has been requested publicly by at least one Trade Union.

"The Department’s suggested way forward was explained at length in the meeting with Trade Unions today, and it is regrettable that this has been rejected.

"Officials remain very willing to discuss and indeed take part in an independently facilitated process which we consider is a much safer and more constructive approach to breaking what has become an impasse."

"While I would have preferred to be in a position to make a higher pay offer, this is the best we can afford given the budgetary constraints and limited authority in the absence of a Minister.

"Of course, a returning Minister would be able to revisit this issue, with the greater ability to address the affordability constraint. Suspending industrial action and participating in the process we have suggested would not prevent that from happening."

Trade unions collaborated for negotiations with the Department of Health and after it emerged the latest pay offer was rejected on Friday, they issued a joint statement:

"Trade Unions expressed continuing disappointment at the failure to recommence meaningful talks.

"The Department of Health have simply restated the financial terms on the settlement of the Agenda for Change refresh issues, a position that was rejected by the Trade Unions last week.

"There was nothing new from the Department and Employers on this issue.

"What has been proposed would see the gap in pay widening between our staff and colleagues in the rest of the UK.

"This will not only impact now on pay levels but will have a detrimental impact on future pay and pensions.

"Safe staffing and the misspending of public funds on agency costs remain a major issue for Trade Unions.

"The Department have been informed that the Trade Unions are available for urgent talks on this matter.

"The Trade Unions are concerned that the Department of Health appear to be carrying out negotiations via media."

And the Royal College of Nursing's Director Pat Cullen branded the formal pay offer an 'insult.'

"The news released by the Department of Health this afternoon has come as yet another insult to nursing and a blow to patient care in Northern Ireland.

"This ‘pay offer’ widens further the gap in pay between nurses in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK and does absolutely nothing to resolve the crisis in health care.

"We are aghast that the Department of Health still does not appear to take seriously the issues facing nursing staff in Northern Ireland and, in comparison to figures presented to the trade unions earlier this year, there appears to be even less in the budget now.

"Our members will be extremely angry to learn this information.

"This only affirms the decision that RCN members have made in relation to taking industrial action and strike action over the coming weeks.

"The Department has indicated to the trade unions that it cannot address the issues until a Minister is back in place. For almost three years, the crisis in health has deepened and the nurse vacancy rate has doubled to nearly 3000.

"We simply cannot wait any longer to start to resolve this crisis and our members will not accept anything less than parity with colleagues in the rest of the UK."