Politics

Planned strike will have ‘profound impact’ on Northern Ireland’s health services

Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill says DUP ‘inaction’ means public sector workers in NI ‘being punished’

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris arrives at Hillsborough Castle on Monday to meet political parties over the Stormont stalemate. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Mon Jan 15 2024 - 12:30

Health trusts in Northern Ireland have warned that mass strike action planned for Thursday will have a “profound impact” on services.

The chief executives of the five hospital trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said the disruption caused would be on a “massive and unprecedented scale”, with a best case scenario resulting in service provision similar to that offered on Christmas Day.

Nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers will be among tens of thousands of public sector employees taking to the picket lines on Thursday in what unions are calling the North’s biggest ever strike.

Workers are demanding that a pay award made to counterparts elsewhere in the UK is introduced in Northern Ireland.

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In a joint statement, the trust chief executives said: “We are deeply concerned that the planned industrial action on Thursday 18th January will have a profound impact on our services, which are already under enormous strain.

Protesters meet at the DUP Lisburn office ahead of Thursday's public sector strikes taking place against the background of a stalled Northern Ireland Assembly.

“The disruption will be on a massive and unprecedented scale.”

“Minimal and emergency services only will be available throughout Northern Ireland, similar to Christmas Day, at best.

“It is a tragedy that our colleagues, who are the backbone of our health and social care service, feel they have no alternative but to take this action.

“We would repeat our call for all staff to be properly rewarded for their work.”

Trade union leaders gathered at Hillsborough Castle on Monday ahead of talks between Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and Stormont party leaders.

As she arrived at the talks, Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill spoke with parents of children with special needs who are protesting about the impact of potential strike action. She told the parents she would be raising their concerns during the meeting.

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill says that is "increasingly untenable" for the DUP to cite the Northern Ireland Protocol as its reason for not forming an Executive.

Ms O’Neill said the DUP’s “inaction” means that workers in the North are “being punished”.

She said Mr Heaton-Harris had indicated during their meeting that he would introduce new legislation if there is no restored executive this week.

“The DUP and their inaction and their failure to return to Stormont and join with the rest of us, and actually provide that leadership that people need, (means) that these workers are all being punished, and we think that’s not good enough,” she said at Hillsborough.

“That’s why we wanted to drive home that message with the Secretary of State today. But, clearly, he has decisions to make as to what comes next. If we get to Thursday and there still is no restored executive, then there has to be new legislation, and he’s indicated today, that’s what he will do.”

She called on the DUP to restore the Executive using Sinn Fein’s recall motion tabled this week. - PA

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