Northern Ireland is facing another day of major public transport disruption, as the continued strike action by thousands of workers enters its sixth day. School support workers have also joined the picket lines in a protest over pay. More than 3,000 public transport workers from the Unite, Siptu, and GMB unions, as well as about 800 Unite members employed by the Education Authority, are participating in the strike. The action comes as legislation is to be debated that could lead to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive in the coming days.
The UK government has pledged funding to cover public-sector pay deals if Stormont returns. However, trade unions have been calling for the Northern Ireland Secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, to release funds to allow Stormont to give a pay increase to public sector workers. Heaton-Harris has pushed back, noting that this is a devolved matter. He has promised that the funds will be available when an executive is in place. The latest action comes after 16 trade unions and tens of thousands of public sector workers took part in one of Northern Ireland’s largest strikes, affecting many sectors, including health, in January.
Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government since February 2022. The Democratic Unionist Party has said that, after reaching a deal with the UK government on resolving its concerns over post-Brexit trade matters, it will end its boycott. After the legislation passes, the Northern Ireland Assembly is expected to be recalled, possibly on Friday or Saturday. However, some trade unions have said they will continue to strike until Stormont is up and running. Davy Thompson from Unite has said that “until there is government in NI, there is no government in NI,” and the DUP’s deal is “not enough” to call off the strike.
Industry body Retail NI has welcomed progress in the restoration of Stormont and has called for the unions to abandon their strikes “as a gesture of goodwill.” Both retail and hospitality groups have criticised public transport workers for taking strike action in the run-up to Christmas, traditionally their busiest period. Responding to the latest February action, Translink said it remains “fully committed to entering constructive pay negotiations.” The Department for Infrastructure has advised people to expect delays during the strike period and to allow extra time for their journeys
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