Northern Ireland braced for big week of strike action

Strikes are taking place across education, health, and the public sector

Strikes in Feb 2023
Author: Chloe StjohnPublished 18th Sep 2023
Last updated 18th Sep 2023

It's set to be a big week of industrial action in Northern Ireland with strikes taking place across education, health, and the public sector.

It all starts today (Mon) as higher education college lecturers take to the picket lines in a dispute over pay.

The University and College Union said it has been forced to take action after “a decade of their members being subject to pay freeze, followed by pay restraint, which has seen lecturer pay awards limited to between 1 % and 2% per year.”

Strike action starts today for a full week. After that, each college will take one day of strike action once every six days for the next three months.

A Department for the Economy spokesperson said, “The FE sector employers provided a Pay Remit business case to the Department for the Economy for the periods 2021/22 and 2022/23 which included increments, revalorisation and a one-off non-consolidated payment for FE lecturers."

"This pay award was issued by FE colleges in August. The Department would encourage the FE colleges as employers to continue their engagement with unions to seek a resolution on ongoing pay issues.”

Industrial action will intensify later in the week when thousands of health workers will take to the picket lines on Thursday and Friday. Some unions will strike across both days, and others for a shorter period.

Unions involved include Unite the Union, Unison, NIPSA, The Society of Radiographers, and the Royal College of Midwives.

Civil servants from NIPSA will also join in on the action on Friday.

Strikes Feb 2023

The Department of Health is warning to expect “significant disruption to services” as a result.

A spokesperson said, “Intensive work will continue this week with the aim of mitigating impacts on the public where possible, but some reductions in service are inevitable.

Information on impacts from industrial action will be provided on HSC Trust websites this week.”

“The Department understands the deep-seated frustration over the ongoing absence of a pay offer for this year but very much regrets that colleagues have decided this industrial action is required.”

“In setting out the implications of the budget it received for 2023/24, the Department said in May that it was facing an “impossible position” and that decisions are required that are not in the best interests of the health and social care system.”

“That remains the case today. As has been previously stated, the current budgetary constraints mean that matching the English pay offer for Agenda for Change health and social care staff would require large scale cuts on an unprecedented scale, with severe and lasting implications for services. That would be outside the scope of our decision making powers.”

“The Department continues to look for ways to address the pay challenge.”

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