Bin collections and school buses impacted by strike action
Unite members are taking industrial action this week
Strike action is starting today which will affect services including some bin collections and some school buses this week.
It comes as Unite The Union members working in local councils, education, and the Housing Executive take action in a bid to secure a pay rise, and other improvements.
The Union says it follows an overwhelming vote to reject a pay offer of 1.75% for the year 2021-22
More information about dump closures and bin picks ups can be found on local council websites.
The Education Authority says the strike action is likely to have an impact on some school transport, meals, and cleaning services.
Translink services and private hire bus and taxi services will not be directly impacted.
The latest list of affected school-bus routes can be found here: https://www.eani.org.uk/news/transport-updates
A statement from the Education Authority said, “The EA is working hard with schools, youth services and our partners to minimise the impact on children and young people as a result of the industrial action.”
“However, whilst the majority of schools, youth and other EA services are expected to operate as normal or with minimal disruption, it is likely that the strike action will have an impact on some transport, school meals and cleaning services. It is also anticipated that there could be disruption to a number of Special Schools, particularly in the Greater Belfast area, as regular transport for children may not be available, and there may also be a number of Classroom Assistants taking part in Unite’s Industrial action.”
“The EA will endeavour to keep parents, children and young people informed on the latest updates via Industrial Action Updates page on our website and our social media channels. Schools will also do their best as far as possible to communicate out any key information through their own channels.”
“The strike action, which is taking place across a number of public sector bodies, is in relation to NJC pay which is negotiated nationally for England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Employers for Local Government Services. The EA then implements the outcome of these negotiations.”
Clare Duffield, Director of HR and Corporate Services, said, "We want our children and young people to be able to go about their school day next week as normal and so our efforts are focused on minimising any disruption to services as far as possible.
“We will make every effort to keep parents, children and schools updated with the latest information. However, we know that in some cases, particularly at the start of the week, services may be disrupted at such short notice that advance notification will not be possible, so we would encourage parents to plan ahead and have alternative arrangements in place, particularly in relation to transport and school meals."