Strike action: What do rail workers, nurses and others want? 3 min. 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. Alan Philson, a nurse in Londonderry and Unite representative, told BBC Radio Foyle healthcare workers "can't deliver the care without investment". Workers, including ambulance service workers, Continue reading Northern Ireland subreddit. Northern Ireland representative Kevin McAdam said 87% of Unite's members had rejected. The group posted pre-tax profits of almost 50 million in 2021 and is a well-funded business with a strong balance sheet. The problem is we don't know where the money would come from for any revised pay deal. In Scotland, teachers rejected a 5% increase and a subsequent offer of up to 6.85%. Paramedics on strike will still be on standby to respond to the most serious calls. Northern Ireland has a policy of pay parity with England HSC workers covered by the Agenda for Change framework.". Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:Unites members overwhelmingvotefor strike actionsignals their determination tosecurea cost of living pay increase and safe staffing for patients. Unite has notified the employer that . Union warns of `existential crisis for health service as NI wages fall further behind. Read about our approach to external linking. (LogOut/ 24H. 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.". She said Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris should be in Northern Ireland "talking about the crisis in our health service". Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. "At the end of the day, it has to be safe for patients". The PM and ministers have been missing in actionbut it istheirjob to ensure that NHS bosses make a realistic offer to the workers who keep our health and social care services running. Four teaching unions took part in a half-day strike over pay - their first walkout in six . Lead regional officer for Unite in health in Northern Ireland, Kevin McAdam confirmed the unions members would be joining the picket lines with members of other health unions with a first 24-hour action set for January 26. Leo Varadkar was speaking as speculation mounts that a deal may be . 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. Unite represents 4,000 workers across the trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). Teachers from across four different unions are due to strike tomorrow in Northern Ireland after 66% of NEU teacher members voted to join the action. The move from Unite, Unison and Nipsa members, will involve some nurses, ambulance and hospital support staff. Workers, including ambulance service workers, are fighting for a fair pay rise and urgent action to avert an ` existential crisis' in the service. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US, 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. Unite members across all five health trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service returned an average 87 per cent vote in favour of strike action. Teachers and school leaders in Northern Ireland went on strike for 12 hours last week as part of their pay dispute and teachers in the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and NASUWT unions will also start a wave of national strikes on Tuesday. 4000 members of Unite the union will join strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) at health and social care workplaces, across Northern Ireland. Cargotec is a successful multinational, generating over 4 billion in revenue during 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. BBC News NI has contacted Hovis for comment. "We want safe staffing levels because one nurse can not do the job of three people, it is totally unsafe," she said. Northern Ireland teachers' unions INTO and UTU, as well as . The pay offer would mean another real terms pay cut and comes after eleven years of pay freezes. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham expressed her unions support for the Hovis workers as they prepare to take strike action: Hovis has enjoyed huge success during the Covid pandemic and in the period following it. 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.. 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. "This might be a short term pain but we need to make sure these services are protected for the public. Border Force staff are also striking at the ports of Calais, Dunkirk and Dover and at the Coquelles Channel Tunnel Terminal, with . Thousands of education and health workers in Northern Ireland have taken part in strike action on Tuesday. Unite represents 4,000 workers across the trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). Nipsa spokesperson Patrick Mulholland told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme staff can no longer continue working under current conditions. Unite has notified the employer that continuous (that is all-out) strike action . The Department of Education has pointed out that the education budget is under real pressure. "There are no negotiations in Northern Ireland, there's no-one to talk to. In the absence of a new pay offer, a further day of strike action has now been planned on March 16. However, he said challenges were expected on Thursday and the NIAS would maintain the safety of patients with the greatest needs. Mr Mulholland said meetings had been held between management and trade unions to ensure "life and limb" was protected during strike action and called on politicians to invest more money in healthcare services. (LogOut/ 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. They also have to keep members' morale up and the public on board. (LogOut/ Unite stands fully behind our members in Roads Service who are striking for dignity in their place of work.. This action's for them, not just us.". Required fields are marked *. However, Unite members have well-founded concerns that the company is engaging in a fake TUPE process. 2023 BBC. Colin Quinn from Downshire psychiatric hospital in Downpatrick, County Down, said "something needs to be done" to help healthcare workers affected by the cost-of-living crisis. Unites Northern Ireland officer, Kevin McAdam, told the BBC: "We felt it was really important to move the dates to the (February 21) to coincide with teachers to demonstrate that there are two important things in life, one is health and the other is education.". Standing alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a news conference in Windsor, Sunak said the two sides . Action by Unite members continues in Northern Ireland. Health workers in the Nipsa and Unison trade unions will also be taking part in strike actions at varying times. Read about our approach to external linking. Paramedics, nurses and hospital staff on strike, Majority of NI teachers to hold half-day strike, Ambulance staff announce new strike dates, Students join staff on university picket line, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Union warns strike is likely to impact bread supplies on shelves across Northern Ireland. 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". Read about our approach to external linking. THOUSANDS of health workers will once again join picket lines tomorrow over an existential crisis facing the NHS. The company has managed to maintain profitability throughout and its profits for 2021 have been boosted through what they deemed a bargain purchase of assets which raised the groups headline (pre-tax) profits for the 14 months to the end of 2021 to 47.3 million. The announcement comes as talks as discussion with the UK health secretary failed to make any progress on the 2022/23 pay claim. In January, more than 20,000 healthcare staff, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Fungus case forces Jack Daniels to halt construction, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, NFL hopeful accused of racing in deadly car crash, Beer and wine sales in Canada fall to all-time low, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy. Thousands of education and health workers in Northern Ireland have taken part in strike action on Tuesday. Ambulance staff includes paramedics, call handlers and support workers. GMB members are continuing action short of strike. Unite's Northern Ireland Officer Gareth Scott said employers were to blame for the resumption of strike action. Teachers, civil servants, driving examiners and Amazon workers are all taking strike action (Picture: Metro.co.uk . Instead, members will now walk out on Tuesday February 21, when the majority of teachers are taking part in a half-day strike. Civil servants have been placed in the unenviable position that they're having to implement decisions that they're not paid to do. Rail union TSSA has agreed nine per cent pay deal bringing to an end . On Tuesday, the union said its members working for BBC England had backed industrial action over the proposals, with 83% voting in favour of strikes, and 92% voting in support of action short of a strike, with a 69% turnout rate. As with all health service strikes, Unites members will be providing emergency cover during the period of the strike. Change). Roads Service workers pay is dependent on a productivity-based payment which is subject to the determination of managers. But unions said that due to changes in pay scales many teachers would get less than 3.2%. (LogOut/ Healthcare workers Orlaigh Sewell and Lisa Heaney said they were striking "to save the NHS". Unites health and social care members will picket at hospitals across NIfrom 07:00hours. Teachers were joined at a number of rallies across Northern Ireland by striking workers from the health unions. "All unions are uniting to say none of us are happy at the minute, it can't continue like this and something has to be done," she added. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. An estimated 200,000 teachers in England and Wales will take part in three days of industrial action as their dispute over pay continues. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hope or Austerity: A Road Map for a Better Fairer Ireland after the Pandemic, Available from all good bookshops or online from www.theliffeypress.com, 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), Ashtown attack on migrant workers highlights need forsolidarity, 4,000 Unite NHS members to strike across NItomorrow. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. "Given that policy position, the absence of ministers and current budgetary realities, there is no scope for a resolution at local level. Bus drivers with Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 561 have been . 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 . Unison, Nipsa and GMB members last took part in a one-day strike in December. Your email address will not be published. But it added that it fully understood the frustration of staff who continued to work in extremely challenging circumstances. would not settle the dispute as it was lower than inflation. Unite has established a 70 million strike fund which we are deploying to back workers in struggle. 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 27 th February.. For media enquiries ONLY please contact Unite senior communications officer Barckley Sumner on 07802 329235 or 0203 371 2067. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Anne Speed, from Unison, said the dispute was about more than pay. The pair hold a press conference later in the afternoon. Credit: PA Images UNISON's health. Fionnuala McTaggart, who has been teaching in north Belfast for three years, said there has been a noticeable increase in her workload that can be "really overwhelming at times". Email: barckley.sumner@unitetheunion.org This vote was carried unanimously in both venues and must be seen as message to those in a position of influence, that this type of leader who cannot, or will not, honour negotiated agreements is not acceptable to our members or their staff. 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. The industrial action follows a ballot of Unite members which returned a 95.30 percent vote for strike. At time of writing, communication from the unions to the Northern Ireland secretary has had no response. The Unite union, which represents workers at the bakery, said the strike would shut down bread production if talks with Hovis management were unsuccessful. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. At Belfast City Hall, teacher Emer Bloomer described the strike as a "show of solidarity". 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. 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. Unions are pacing themselves they know they are in for the long haul. 4000 Unite members to strike on 26 January, February 16 ,17 and 23, 24. 28 Feb 2023. The workers feel that management have weaponised the bonus scheme, a situation which is intolerable. HOT. Without a Stormont executive and extra money in the education budget it's hard to see how the teachers' pay dispute can be resolved. Gerry Murphy, from INTO, said teachers had been backed into a corner while the UTU's Jacqui White said the unprecedented move was a reflection of the strength of feeling. Taking strike action: What do rail workers, including ambulance service ( NIAS ) that they 're not to! The most serious calls now been planned on March 16 notified the employer that (... Department of education and health workers in Northern Ireland have taken part in strike action ( Picture:.... 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