Speaking after the decision by the NI Secretary of State to seek an extension of the deadline to hold an assembly election, ICTU Assistant General Secretary Gerry Murphy said
Last week saw 170,000 public servants make salary sacrifices lining out in the cold streets on picket lines, talking part in marches and rallies, in search of pay justice. Their hopes as expressed across the North and on the airwaves are genuine and deserve to be addressed today and not strung out for another fortnight.
We welcome that an amendment to today’s Westminster legislation will call on the Secretary of State to unlock the financial package he has withheld from the NI Department of Finance. Talks between trade unions and public sector employers must begin immediately so workers can reap the rewards of their principled resistance to these shameful political games. This should not depend upon whipped votes at Westminster by MPs from all parts of the UK. If anything, today’s Parliamentary theatre underscores the need for locally accountable politicians making decisions in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Regardless of what happens between now and 8 February Chris Heaton-Harris must move immediately to release the money to meet the overdue wage bill of our public servants. Society must now engage in a serious discussion on how NI is financed and the trade union movement is ready to be part of those discussions. After last week, it would be unthinkable for our political class to try and progress without us.
