Crowds welcome trade union leader Mick Lynch to Belfast

Workers and activists have gathered around British trade union leader Mick Lynch to take photos with him and greet him ahead of his address to various trade unions in Belfast.

The RMT general secretary posed with signs from the Belfast branch of the union as well as various other groups ahead of a march to Belfast City Hall.

He was given a small bust of the founder of the Irish Labour party James Connelly, a book about the history of trade unions in Ireland and pinned a University and College Union badge given to him to his jacket.

He said the warm welcome he received as he walked through the streets of Belfast with trade unions in Northern Ireland was not unusual.

Some people applauded the RMT general secretary as he held an ICTU banner and marched with workers towards Belfast City Hall, while one man went to shake his hand.

Mr Lynch told the PA news agency he tends to get a good reception across Britain and Ireland.

"People are reaching out to trade unions, they want to hear the message and they want to show their support. So it's all good stuff."

When asked does the support of punters put pressure on him personally to deliver a deal for the RMT, he said: "You're always under pressure and that's a good thing. You've got to deliver, and our members have shown their commitment to our campaigns, to our industrial action and it's my job to get them a deal. We're working on that, but we've got a very tough opponent. The Tories don't want to give anyone anything, just 4-5% norm."

He said that having all workers on zero-hour contracts would be "degrading", saying: "We can't have that, that's a degrading of the workplace and it degrades society in the longrun, so we've got to fight that, for our people."