Speaking after last night’s decision by the DUP, ICTU Assistant General Secretary Gerry Murphy said
The decision by the DUP to return to the NI Executive will be welcomed by the thousands of workers who took strike action on 18 January. This means the Secretary of State must now deliver on his promise and 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.
Once the pay issues have been fairly resolved, the trade unions expect to contribute to the policy programme of the restored legislative assembly and the NI Executive. This is as equally important as the role working people played in the restoration of the Belfast/GFA institutions this week and have done since the suspension of Stormont two years ago.
