Speaking as the conclusion of the talks on restoration of the NI Executive, ICTU Assistant General Secretary Gerry Murphy said:
Workers in Northern Ireland cannot be held hostage by this process any longer. The Secretary of State has accepted that public sector pay needs to be settled and has admitted that he has the money to settle it. A worker’s pay is not some bauble to be dangled in a political negotiation. This money must be made available to settle this dispute now.
The financial package outlined during this talks process represents a necessary shift in the UK government’s attitude, but it does not appear that it will be sufficient. We want to see the restoration of the NI Executive so that we can begin to bring some stability to public services here.
In the absence of any movement on these issues, Trade Unions in Northern Ireland have no option but to intensify our programme of industrial action. The next step will be generalized day of action on the 18th of January bringing together all workers currently in dispute.
Over the past year, almost every union has taken Action Short of Strike action, and intermittent strike action, on the back of unprecedented support from members. Already, several unions have declared that they will be taking strike action on Thursday 18 January, and this will affect every part of public services.
The unions who have declared strike action so far are:
• Unison
• GMB
• SoR (Society of Radiographers)
• NAHT
• NIPSA
• RCM
• Unite
• NASUWT
• INTO
• CSP (Charted Society of Physiotherapists)
• UTU
• BDA (British Dietetic Association
We are expecting more unions to declare over the coming weeks. There will be strike rallies across NI on 18 January, and details will be circulated shortly.
