Motion no: 13
Conference notes with concern that the ongoing political instability in Northern Ireland has meant that for 5 out of the past 10 years our devolved government has not been functioning. As we approach the end of the current Assembly mandate, very little legislative progress has been made since the institutions were restored in February 2024. The democratic deficit resulting from the legacy of the conflict has not been overcome, with an Assembly that lurches from crisis to crisis unable to undertake meaningful strategic policymaking or economic planning.
Conference recognises that these problems are exacerbated by mechanisms embedded in the power-sharing model set out in the Peace Agreements which are in desperate need of reform.
Conference recalls the role of the trade union movement in the peace process and its support for the rights and equality safeguards in the Good Friday Agreement, with strong public services as the key delivery mechanism for a better quality of life. However, the reality we face today is rising poverty, widening health inequalities, equality law falling behind the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, failure to keep pace on workers’ and trade union rights and no Bill of Rights for NI.
Conference notes that the current Executive’s inability to set a budget or to even get the Good Jobs Bill to the floor of the Assembly demonstrates not just an ineffective government but one which is actively running down our public services.
Conference believes that it is time for the trade union movement to mobilise for the progress we have waited too long for. It is not enough to keep hoping that a new mandate will bring something different from the Executive when long-standing commitments, such as those in the New Decade New Approach agreement, remain unfulfilled.
Conference calls on the Northern Ireland Committee to rally the trade union movement to consistent action providing a platform for workers, our families and communities to demand the rights and services we are entitled to.
Conference further calls on the Northern Ireland Committee to support reform of the political institutions with the aim of ending the cycle of unstable government that has blighted the last decade. This includes calling for the removal of the St Andrews veto and the Executive Agenda veto which have been deployed to thwart and block progress on the progression of rights-based policies and issues, including workers and trade union rights.
Conference further calls on the Northern Ireland Committee to lobby the UK and Irish Governments as co-guarantors of the Peace Agreement to fulfil their obligations to ensure the effective functioning of government in NI. This includes engaging with the UK government to progress meaningful reform of the political institutions, provide a more suitable financial settlement to support public services and ensuring the delivery of the long overdue Bill of Rights.
