TRADE unions have warned that there is “little prospect of industrial peace being restored” if the public sector pay dispute is not resolved soon.
On Monday, the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) met to consider their next steps after the “historic strikes and rallies” that saw public sector services ground to a halt last Thursday.
Local workers joined their colleagues from 16 different unions across Northern Ireland on the picket lines, several of which were hosted in Downpatrick, Newcastle and Kilkeel.
An ICTU statement, issued on Monday afternoon, said that the senior leadership of the trade union movement had “held an initial meeting to consider the impact of last Thursday’s generalised day of action, and the ongoing industrial actions by affiliates across most parts of the public sector”.
Gerry Murphy, ICTU assistant general secretary, highlighted that secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris is set to soon “unveil his response to the failure of his immoral strategy of withholding a just pay settlement from 170,000 workers in health, education, transport and other public services”.
“When he addresses Parliament on what he has decided, he will need to bear in mind that he has lost the support of every political party and public sector leader, as well as the general public, on the issue of fair pay for public servants,” he said.
“The enormous levels of public support exhibited last Thursday represents a mandate for the trade union movement to continue its efforts for pay justice.”
Mr Murphy added that the committee will “give a comprehensive response to the reaction of the secretary of state, but only when we can see the details of what he proposes”.
“If there is no prospect of an immediate declaration that sufficient money is available for all public sector employers to negotiate a fair pay settlement, then there is little prospect of industrial peace being restored,” he said.
“The short-term priority is a long-overdue pay increase to offset inflation – and then there is a long-term need for a new budget arrangement that ensures that Northern Ireland is properly resourced to provide the public services people need for their health and prosperity.”
Speaking last week about the day of action, the assistant general secretary said that the trade union movement had “won the popular argument, as witnessed by the support we have seen from women’s groups, the voluntary sector, students’ unions, the 50 chief executives in the public sector, the PSNI chief constable, the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and the public at large”.
Unite the Union confirmed last Thursday that strike action by Roads Service and Education Authority workers would last for seven days “in the absence of any move by the secretary of state for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris to release the funds necessary to provide a cost-of-living pay increase”.
Before Christmas, Mr Heaton-Harris accepted that public sector pay needed to be settled; however, the release of £584m for this is part of a wider £3.3bn package, which is contingent upon the DUP agreeing to restore the Executive.
In a platform piece published in this week’s Mourne Observer, South Down MP Chris Hazzard (Sinn Féin) said that “public sector workers workers cannot be punished for DUP failures”.
He also accused the secretary of state of using the package as “a ransom that is causing financial pain to public services and our public sector workers”, and described this situation as “scandalous”.
“One hundred and seventy thousand workers were forced to take unavoidable general strike action last week – our nurses, doctors, civil servants, train drivers, bus drivers, teachers and education workers, police support staff, and, essentially, our entire public administration,” Mr Hazzard added.
“I was out on the picket lines with these workers, across South Down, who should not have had to take to the streets.
“Because of the DUP’s inaction, politics is stalled indefinitely, and our public services are at a standstill.”
South Down MLA Patrick Brown (Alliance) stated that “our public workers play a crucial role in delivering essential services across South Down and Northern Ireland as a whole, and they should not have to strike for a fair pay deal”.
“The responsibility for the delay lies with the DUP, and I urge them to end their boycott and work towards establishing an Executive, so we can deliver the fair pay deal that our workers rightly deserve,” he said.
“Our public servants have been at the forefront, guiding us through the challenges of the Covid pandemic, and they continue to support vital services amid challenging economic times.
“They rightfully deserve fair pay for their work.”