For health and public service unions Unite, Unison, Nipsa and GMB it was further action in a pay dispute. The Department of Education said there had been active engagement between managers and teachers about pay. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Those taking strike action perform a vital role maintaining road standards and safety. National Education Union (NEU) members in England will walk out on Tuesday 28 February in the North, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber, and Wednesday 1 March in the East . Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. When are the next strikes and what pay do workers want? Workers in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have lost trust and confidence in the NDMDC Chief Executive Marie Ward, and are commencing a new ballot for refreshed industrial action, up to and including strike action, after management at the Council have neglected to honour a deal agreed in 2022. Strikes Northern Ireland Monday 23 January 2023, 5:49pm The union says Ministers must drop their "resistance" to engage with health trade unions on pay. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. More than two hundreds Unite members employed by the Roads Service of Northern Ireland will be joining with colleagues in the GMB in taking strike action for a week commencing Monday 27th February. Required fields are marked *. Teachers in Northern Ireland from four different unions are planning a half-day strike tomorrow after concerns over teacher pay. Over the past year NHS staff, rail workers, teachers, postmen and others have all taken strike action demanding better pay and conditions amid the cost-of-living crisis. In the absence of a functioning Stormont Executive, prime minister Rishi Sunak needs to show someleadership,bang some headstogether, make surethatwe can get back to negotiations and offer NHS workers inNorthern Ireland a better deal.. Unison RVH Branch secretary Conor McCarthy said the union was calling for direct negotiations with the British government. 25 January: Members of Unite, which represents 4,000 health and social care workers across Northern Ireland, will be joining members of other health unions in taking industrial action tomorrow (Thursday 26 January). "This time it's about defending the fundamentals of the health service and unfortunately that means taking industrial action to get the message across," he added. Members in Northern Ireland, like their colleagues elsewhere, deserve a fair increase paid quickly." Learn more. "If we don't take a stand we wont have a health service. If and when the strikes will end is unclear. The Unite Union, which represents around 4,000 health. Northern Ireland Health and Social Care workers strike for improved pay. Subsequent strike dates which Unite has notified to employers are February 16 and 17, and February 23 and 24. Unite the union has confirmed that it has given the Northern Ireland Housing Executive seven day notice of a strike action over pay. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said that prime minister Rishi Sunak needs to show leadership: If proof were needed of the determination of NHS workers to fight for a better deal its here in the 87 per cent vote recorded in the Trusts in Northern Ireland. To give some background, Council workers from all four unions took part in a number of successful industrial action campaigns in 2021 and 2022. Workers, including ambulance service workers, are fighting for a fair pay rise and urgent action to avert an ` existential crisis' in the service. (LogOut/ Unite confirms all out strike action will commence at Belfast Bakery from 6am on Sunday, March 5 But it added that it fully understood the frustration of staff who continued to work in extremely challenging circumstances. These strikes are being taken as an absolute last resort. In Northern Ireland, around 4,000 NHS workers in the Unite union have planned two 48-hour strikes on February 16-17 and 23-24. Staff at the plant are seeking a 13.4% wage increase. "They [the Department of Education] need to think outside the box, they need to see where money can be saved so that the heart of education - the teachers - are remunerated properly," she said. Unite confirms all out strike action will commence at Belfast Bakery from 6am on Sunday 5th March, Union warns strike is likely to impact bread supplies on shelves across Northern Ireland. 28 Feb 2023. Roads Service workers pay is dependent on a productivity-based payment which is subject to the determination of managers. In the recent year roads workers at some hubs have taken strike action over allegations of bullying and harassment and are now seeking to close down a mechanism which potentially leaves them subject to victimization by managers. The strike action by industrial staff who work on the roads network is due to commence on Monday (27 February). "I have a warning for the government, we're not finished, we're not going anywhere, we have just started," she added. The pay offer would mean another real terms pay cut and comes after eleven years of pay freezes. "Everybody's speaking with a clear voice here today, everybody's saying the same thing. Some staff at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (UU) will also strike on 21 February in a dispute over pay. Unite the union has confirmed that its members working across the health and social care sector in Northern Ireland will be participating in an industrial campaign involving all health trade unions after they voted overwhelmingly for strike action in pursuit of a cost of living pay increase. But unions said that due to changes in pay scales many teachers would get less than 3.2%. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: With chronic low pay making it impossible to recruit and retain essential health workers, the health service in Northern Ireland is facing an existential crisis.. Unite represents 4,000 workers across the trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). As we approach February, unions, including teaching unions, are planning a joint hit. The NEU has estimated that around 200,000 members across England and Wales . unless the union has a strike fund to cover wages. In January, 20,000 healthcare staff in Northern Ireland, including ambulance staff and nurses, took part in a one-day strike as part of a dispute over pay. Unites members will be joining striking health workers from other health trade unions in marches to Belfast City Hall and other rallies across Northern Ireland in a show of solidarity for striking education workers. That mood is fuelled by an absence of local government and a feeling that no-one actually cares or even wants to engage. With chronic low pay making it impossible torecruit and retainessentialhealth workers, the health service in Northern Ireland is facing an existential crisis. In the absence of a new pay offer, a further day of strike action has now been planned on March 16. Read about our approach to external linking. "Trust workers have been forced to resort to food banks and take on additional shifts/second jobs," the union said in a statement. Unite says it is determined to ensure workers pay and conditions do not come under attack, Action at Dundalk facility set to start on 10 March. The Pharmaceutical Journal Mr McKeever said workers' disposable income was being "eaten up by food inflation", adding that some Hovis employees had been forced to use foodbanks. Your email address will not be published. In a show of solidarity for striking education workers, health workers will take part in a march to Belfast City Hall and at other rallies across Northern Ireland. The strike was ended after staff accepted an 8% pay increase. So there's negotiations going on at the minute but I don't see anything happening but a strike. The workers seek changes to their terms and conditions meaning the integration of a productivity bonus into their payscales. Thursday's strike is for 24 hours as opposed to 12 which will have place more strain on patients and management. The strike follows ballot across all five health trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service which returned an average 87 per cent vote in favour of strike action. In the absence of a functioning Stormont executive, the responsibility for this strike lies squarely with Rishi Sunak who has failed to show leadership and ensure that NHS bosses made a realistic offer to the workers who keep our health and social care services running. Workers were told they would get a 2022-23 pay award of 1,400, but unions said this would not settle the dispute as it was lower than inflation. In the absence of a functioning Stormont executive, the responsibility for resolving this disputefalls tothe UK government. Workers of Unite the union have voted by a margin of more than 95 percent for strike action in pursuit of a cost of living pay increase at Hovis, the leading Belfast Bakery. Unison, Nipsa and GMB members last took part in a one-day strike in December. Processing means any action . Staff at the plant are seeking a 13.4% . In Scotland, teachers rejected a 5% increase and a subsequent offer of up to 6.85%. Border Force staff are also striking at the ports of Calais, Dunkirk and Dover and at the Coquelles Channel Tunnel Terminal, with . Budget day coverage to be hit by BBC strike. A NIAS spokesman said the service had talked to unions to identify what services would be exempt from strike action so the most clinically urgent patients could still be seen. Sunak and von der Leyen sign the Northern Ireland Protocol deal. 2023 BBC. "Our members are not prepared to stand by while their pay packets shrink and their living costs rise," he said. Workers at Newry, Mourne & Down District Council prepare to return to industrial action for fairtreatment. Workers were told they would get a 2022-23 pay award of 1,400, but unions said this would not settle the dispute as it was lower than inflation. (LogOut/ Unites lead regional officer for health in Northern Ireland, Kevin McAdam, said: Nobody should be in any doubt regarding our members determination to defend their living standards amid an unprecedented cost of living crisis.. They mustget on and do so without delay.. Thousands of education and health workers in Northern Ireland have taken part in strike action on Tuesday. While there has always been a sense of general fed up-ness, the mood is much more discontented - making staff even more determined. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck a deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland on Monday, saying it would pave the way for a new chapter in London's relationship with the bloc. "The Department of Education and employers must bring forward a substantially improved pay offer if they want to see an end to this dispute.". 12 weeks for 12. Change). Unite lead representative for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) Norman Cunningham said stalemate at Stormont is not helping to resolve the issues. unions said this would not settle the dispute as it was lower than inflation. Turnover rose 8 percent in 2020 and rose marginally further in 2021 to 361.2 million. Without a Stormont executive and extra money in the education budget it's hard to see how the teachers' pay dispute can be resolved. The strike action by members of the Unte trade union had a varied impact across Northern Ireland's 11 local councils, with some reporting all services up-and-running while others were forced to . Health visitor Lisa Heaney added: "There's more demands, there's more support needed for the families we're going out to visit and we don't have the staff to facilitate that.". Health workers in the Nipsa and Unison trade unions will also be taking part in. Unites lead regional officer for health in Northern Ireland, Kevin McAdam, said: Nobody should be in any doubt regarding our members determination to defend their living standards amidst an unprecedented cost of living crisis. In Northern Ireland, 4000 social care workers and health professionals in Northern Ireland under union Unite are participating in their final day of strike action due to the effects of inflation . The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has launched its first ever strike ballot of pharmacists employed by the NHS under Agenda for Change terms and conditions in Northern Ireland. Under trade union law, emergency cover will still be provided and staff can leave the picket lines to attend. . Roads Service maintenance workers in Unite commence one week strikeaction, Overwhelming 93 per cent vote for industrial action at Cargotec in fake TUPEdispute, Thousands of Unite health members to join Northern Ireland-wide strike in demand for fair wages and safestaffing. The Department of Health said it fully understood the frustration and deep concern of staff. "We want safe staffing levels because one nurse can not do the job of three people, it is totally unsafe," she said. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, How fake copyright complaints are muzzling journalists, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. Northern Ireland subreddit. Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, Fungus case forces Jack Daniels to halt construction, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, West Africans to leave Tunisia after race row, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, Fire knocks out half of Argentina's power grid. While strike action to date has hit a nerve - they know future action will have to cause a lot more pain. Lead regional officer for roads service workers Gareth Scott explained the context for the strike: Our members in Roads Service are dependent on the allocation of productivity-based duties in order to make bonus, which leaves them subject to potentially less favourable treatment from managers. It is now clear that this bonus scheme is broken beyond repair and Managements refusal to integrate this productivity mechanism into payscales has left the workforce with no alternative but to take strike action. From 7am, around 4,000 members of Unite including ambulance workers will strike over pay and staffing levels. This action could last months. Workers at the Apollo Road factory last walked out in 2021 in industrial action which lasted 11 days. Healthcare in Northern Ireland, Scottish airports and some UK government services will all be affected by strike action today (Picture: Metro.co.uk) Today's another busy day of strikes, with ambulance drivers and civil servants among those picketing over pay and working conditions. A union representing bakery workers in Belfast has warned that upcoming strike action could impact bread supplies across Northern Ireland. National Education Union (NEU) members mobilised on picket lines and in regional protests and rallies in northern England while Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) and NASUWT members struck in Scotland. The ballot follows a survey carried out by the PDA in December 2022, to which 80% of its members in Northern Ireland responded; 94% of whom called [] The Unite union, which represents healthcare staff in Northern Ireland, has moved a planned strike to coincide with industrial action by teachers. It is part of 18 planned days of industrial action. At time of writing, communication from the unions to the Northern Ireland secretary has had no response. Trusts have been in contact with patients who will be affected and further details are available on trusts' websites. More than two hundreds Unite members employed by the Roads Service of Northern Ireland will be joining with colleagues in the GMB in taking strike action for a week commencing Monday 27th February. There is a furious new attitude among health workers and it's being felt not only on strike days but every day at work. BBC News NI has contacted Hovis for comment. Nipsa, which has more than 10,000 members, some of whom are nurses, said wages had been "progressively eroded through below inflation pay-rises and pay freezes". 4000 members of Unite the union will join strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) at health and social care workplaces, across Northern Ireland. Some large retailers reported small supply issues at the time, but other suppliers stepped in to cover gaps in provision. Nipsa spokesperson Patrick Mulholland told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme staff can no longer continue working under current conditions. Mr McAdam, Unite's Northern Ireland representative, said: "We felt it was really important to move the dates to the 21st (February) to coincide with teachers to demonstrate that there are two important things in life, one is health and the other is education.". Anne Speed, from Unison, said the dispute was about more than pay. Teachers on demo march after members of the National Education Union stage their first day of strike action over pay and conditions. are to join nurses in taking strike action on 6 February in what will be the biggest NHS walkout in this dispute. Workers at Newry, Mourne & Down District Council prepare to return to industrial action for fairtreatment. Sunak makes a House of Commons statement setting out the UK-EU agreement. He said "a huge amount" of healthcare workers had recently joined unions, which he hoped sent "a strong message out to the government that their attacks on unions isn't working". While Stormont remains in limbo, she said that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his ministers were missing in action and called on them to make a realistic pay offer. Northern Ireland teachers' unions INTO and UTU, as well as . 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