Assaults on Public Service Workers and Calling for Enhanced Protections

This Congress notes:

• The continuing rise in assaults, threats, intimidation, and abuse directed at public service workers across the Northern Ireland, including but not limited to local government staff, health and social care workers, education professionals, transport workers, civil servants, and frontline emergency personnel.
• That these attacks have severe physical, psychological, and economic consequences for workers, their families, and the communities they serve.
• That current legislative protections, including the specific offence of assaulting police officers, fire and rescue personnel, and ambulance workers, do not extend to the full range of public service workers who face similar risks in the course of their duties.

This Congress believes:

• That every public service worker—regardless of role, department, or employer—deserves to carry out their duties free from violence, harassment, and abuse.
• That assaults on public service workers are not only attacks on individuals but attacks on the essential services that sustain society.
• That the current patchwork of protections is inadequate and fails to reflect the realities faced by workers across public services.

This Congress condemns:

• All assaults, threats, and abusive behaviour directed at public service workers.
• The failure of successive governments to provide comprehensive legislative protection for all workers delivering public services.

This Congress resolves:

1. To call for a unified, cross‑sector public campaign, led jointly by trade unions, public bodies, local authorities, health trusts, education institutions, and government departments, clearly condemning all assaults on public service workers and promoting a zero‑tolerance approach to violence and abuse.
2. To lobby Stormont to extend existing legislative provisions—currently covering police, fire and rescue personnel, and ambulance workers—to all workers employed in public service roles, including but not limited to:
   • Local government and council staff
   • NHS and social care workers
   • Teachers, lecturers, and education support staff
   • Public transport workers
   • Civil servants and agency workers delivering public functions
   • Public‑facing staff in libraries, job centres, courts, and community services
3. To campaign for the introduction of a specific offence covering assaults, threats, or harassment against any public service worker, with appropriate sentencing guidelines and mandatory reporting requirements.
4. To support affiliated unions in developing workplace policies, training, and reporting mechanisms that strengthen protection for members and ensure incidents are recorded, investigated, and acted upon.
5. To work with employers and public bodies to ensure that no worker is pressured to continue working in unsafe conditions and that all affected workers receive appropriate support, including medical care, counselling, and legal assistance.

Congress confirms that it will not rest until such times that our members are afforded the protection from being assaulted whilst serving the public.