Largest nursing union joins day of strikes

Northern Ireland's largest nursing union has announced strike action on January 18, joining other unions in a day of action.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing will join other trade unions in industrial action in response to the failure to award a pay deal in line with colleagues across the UK.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has deemed January 18 a "generalised day of action" in response to the conclusion of talks on restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Unions representing health workers, midwives, radiographers, teachers and civil servants are among those who have said they will withdraw their labour for some length of time on the day.

In December, Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris announced a £3.3 billion package conditional on the return of devolved government, which has not been functioning for nearly two years due to the DUP's boycott in response to post-Brexit trading arrangements.

That financial package includes a non-repayable reserve claim of up to £584 million for public sector pay claims.

The DUP declined to re-enter Stormont in December with party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson stating that talks on unionist concerns about trading arrangements would continue.

The RCN Northern Ireland Board met on Thursday to discuss the continued Stormont stalemate and said they concluded that their members' patience has "now been exhausted".

Rita Devlin, director of the RCN in Northern Ireland, said their members were the lowest paid in the UK and it was "nothing short of immoral" that the pay award had not been granted now that finances were available to do so.

"What an indictment on how we treat health care workers and the value we place on them," she said.

"Just this week our emergency departments, once again, have been struggling to cope with the numbers of very sick patients who need treatment. And who are we depending upon to meet that challenge?

"Low pay is making it very difficult to retain nursing staff in the health service and we are not willing to tolerate this any longer. Patients and staff are suffering every single day due to the lack of political movement which not only affects pay but prevents the transformation of services that has been needed for years.

"We have no choice but to take further action."

Briege Quinn, RCN Northern Ireland Board chairwoman said that in her 40 years of working in nursing she had "never seen the situation so dire".

"As nurses we must stand up for our patients and speak on their behalf," she said.

"Nursing staff are being placed under unimaginable pressure which is resulting in their own ill health and emotional distress.

"No nurse ever wants to take strike action but we cannot stand back any longer and accept the lack of any meaningful help and action to improve pay and the crisis facing health and social care in Northern Ireland.

"We are not second-class citizens and refuse to be treated as such any longer."

Responding to the RCN announcement, a spokesman for the Northern Ireland Office said:

"The Secretary of State's talks on stabilising the finances of a returning Executive with the four parties eligible to form the Northern Ireland Executive have now concluded.

"The fair and generous package offered by the UK Government is worth over £3bn, including up to £584m to address public sector pay, and more than £1bn to stabilise Northern Ireland's public services.

"The Secretary of State has expressed his disappointment that a new executive was not up and running to take this offer and deliver it for the people of NI before Christmas.

"However, this package is on the table and will remain there, available on day one of an incoming Northern Ireland Executive to take up.

"It is now for the NI parties to come together, restore the Executive and begin to address the challenges facing the people of Northern Ireland, including public sector pay."