Civil servants have been placed in the unenviable position that they're having to implement decisions that they're not paid to do. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Northern Ireland Health and Social Care workers strike for improved pay. "I have a warning for the government, we're not finished, we're not going anywhere, we have just started," she added. It is understood union representatives are to meet the Department of Education later this week for further talks. Members of Unite employed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) are preparing for strike action in a dispute over "pitiful pay.". 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. Posted on February 20, 2023 by Unite the union NI Union warns of `existential crisis' for health service as NI wages fall further behind 4000 members of Unite the union will join strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) at health and social care workplaces, across Northern Ireland. Sunak and von der Leyen sign the Northern Ireland Protocol deal. Our members will be joining members of other health trade unions on the picket lines tomorrow and, unless sense prevails and our members are made a better offer, there will be a second day of strike actionon March 16th.. GMB members are continuing action short of strike. Workers, including ambulance service workers, are fighting for a fair pay rise and urgent action to avert an ` existential crisis' in the service. Change). Your email address will not be published. Teachers in Northern Ireland from four different unions are planning a half-day strike tomorrow after concerns over teacher pay. Northern Ireland teachers' unions INTO and UTU, as well as . They appealed to the public to only call in life-threatening emergencies. unions said this would not settle the dispute as it was lower than inflation. "The hospitals are choc-a-block. 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. BBC First ballot results. PDA Union has agreed how to proceed towards NHS Strike Action; What to do when faced with an industrial action picket line; PDA update on industrial action: why, how, and when strikes are called; Not yet a PDA member? 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. Two meetings of Council staff were held last week in Newry and Downpatrick, hosted by the four trade unions representing workers of all grades NIPSA, SIPTU, GMB and Unite. RMT union members voted to strike after their demand for a 7% pay rise was rejected in favour of a 3% offer, and an initial three days of industrial action were scheduled for 21, 23 and 25 June, with further disruption taking place in July and August, and over the following autumn and winter. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. 2023 BBC. At Belfast City Hall, teacher Emer Bloomer described the strike as a "show of solidarity". In the absence of a functioning Stormont executive, the responsibility for resolving this disputefalls tothe UK government. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Teachers on demo march after members of the National Education Union stage their first day of strike action over pay and conditions. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It said management remained committed to reaching a resolution that ensured teachers were fairly remunerated. The Department of Health said it fully understood the frustration of staff but there was no scope for resolution at local level. Our members are seeing the NHS eroded before their eyes and patients lives are being placed at risk due to chronic underfunding. To give some background, Council workers from all four unions took part in a number of successful industrial action campaigns in 2021 and 2022. Unite has notified the employer that continuous (that is all-out) strike action will commence this Sunday 5th March with strike pickets going up at the Bakery at 6am that morning. "Our aim is to disrupt the administration of the service, not to disrupt the patients but obviously it will impact to some extent," Mr McAdam said. Emergency cover will still be in place during the strikes, meaning paramedics will be able to leave to cover the most serious calls. More than 20,000 healthcare staff in Northern Ireland have begun a one-day strike as part of a pay dispute. Australia One News Page: Monday, 27 February 2023 NUJ members working for BBC England have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action. The dispute follows the companys refusal to engage meaningfully at the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court regarding their proposal to transfer workers under what Unite describes as a fake TUPE, meaning established jobs, pay and conditions could come under future attack. 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 . 4000 Unite members to strike on 26 January, February 16 ,17 and 23, 24. They said ambulances would still be available but patients with less clinically urgent needs could face long delays. Striking teachers hold a rally . Staff, who have just brought us through a global pandemic, are feeling weary, disheartened even exasperated. TENS of thousands of teachers launched three days of strike action today in their continuing battle for fair pay and funding for schools. A union representing bakery workers in Belfast has warned that upcoming strike action could impact bread supplies across Northern Ireland. Advertisement Coins. 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. the majority of teachers will hold a half-day strike. Brooke Davies Tuesday 28 Feb 2023 12:01 am. 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. "They're stripping it down piece by piece," Orlaigh explained. 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.". Ambulance workers will be among those returning to the picket lines over pay demands and safer staffing levels. 24H. "Given that policy position, the absence of ministers and current budgetary realities, there is no scope for a resolution at local level. Although the British Government has promised a 1,400 pay award for 2022-23, and have said they are willing to discuss pay levels in the new financial year, unions have said this still falls well below the rate of inflation. 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. That mood is fuelled by an absence of local government and a feeling that no-one actually cares or even wants to engage. (LogOut/ Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Action by Unite members continues in Northern Ireland. The problem is we don't know where the money would come from for any revised pay deal. Valheim . Strike at Belfast Hovis bakery enters fifth day, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Unite represents 4,000 workers across the trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). At time of writing, communication from the unions to the Northern Ireland secretary has had no response. This action's for them, not just us.". 22 February: Unite, which represents over 200 workers at the Cargotec (formerly Moffett Engineering) facility in Dundalk, today (Tuesday) announced that a ballot of members had returned an overwhelming 93 per cent vote in favour of industrial action, starting with a one-day stoppage on 10 March. The Unite union, which represents workers at the bakery, said the strike would shut down bread production if talks with Hovis management were unsuccessful. Teachers in the Midlands and eastern regions of England begun strike action on 1 March in a long-running dispute over pay. last took part in a one-day strike in December. 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). Standing alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a news conference in Windsor, Sunak said the two sides . 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. Firstly, it was decided to call for a vote of no confidence in the current Chief Executive. Leo Varadkar was speaking as speculation mounts that a deal may be . He said that ambulance staff will be among those taking part in the strike. 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. "Our members are not prepared to stand by while their pay packets shrink and their living costs rise," he said. (LogOut/ 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 . The workers feel that management have weaponised the bonus scheme, a situation which is intolerable. Read about our approach to external linking. Unite has notified management of a series of dates for a campaign of industrial action at Caterpillar in Northern Ireland. 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