Paramedics on strike will still be on standby to respond to the most serious calls. Change). While workers have watched their disposable incomes collapse with the surge in inflation, Hovis has enjoyed bumper sales during the Covid pandemic and in its aftermath. Rees-Mogg defended the Northern Ireland protocol bill, which No 10 seems happy to shelve, saying it has the support of "the person who had a mandate from the British voters" - ie, Boris Johnson. (LogOut/ Ambulance workers will be among those returning to the picket lines over pay demands and safer staffing levels. "We were out on strike in December, we're back here again today," he said. The workers seek changes to their terms and conditions meaning the integration of a productivity bonus into their payscales. Unite represents 4,000 workers across the trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). "We need valued, we need paid appropriately and we've had enough and this is going to continue unless they do something about it.". NUJ members working for BBC England have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:Unites members have voted overwhelmingly for strike action and rejected the governments derisory pay offer, which is a real terms pay cut. Strike action: What do rail workers, nurses and others want? She said it was "completely broken" with A&E patients lying on floors, waiting days for a bed. unless the union has a strike fund to cover wages. The strike is a result of the failure to deliver a cost of living pay increase. Strike action by the union was scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday, as well as 23 and 24 February. People are on corridors, and everyone's being overstretched and overworked," he told Good Morning Ulster from the picket line at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Unite members across all five health trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service returned an . Processing means any action . The announcement comes as talks as discussion with the UK health secretary failed to make any progress on the 2022/23 pay claim. "The Department of Education and employers must bring forward a substantially improved pay offer if they want to see an end to this dispute.". 28 Feb 2023. Roads Service workers pay is dependent on a productivity-based payment which is subject to the determination of managers. This is the only way we can get our message through to government regionally and nationally.". Workers, including ambulance service workers, are fighting for a fair pay rise and urgent action to avert an ` existential crisis' in the service. 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. 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 amid an unprecedented cost of living crisis.. The move from Unite, Unison and Nipsa members, will involve some nurses, ambulance and hospital support staff. Staff at the plant are seeking a 13.4% . The strike follows ballot across all five health trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service which returned an average 87 per cent vote in favour of strike action. Unite represents 4,000 workers across the health and social care trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). The four teaching unions involved were the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT); the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO); the Ulster Teachers Union (UTU) and the National Education Union (NEU). Alan Philson, a nurse in Londonderry and Unite representative, told BBC Radio Foyle healthcare workers "can't deliver the care without investment". Teachers in Northern Ireland from four different unions are planning a half-day strike tomorrow after concerns over teacher pay. For media enquiries ONLY please contact Unite senior communications officer Barckley Sumner on 07802 329235 or 0203 371 2067. The strike did not impact Northern Ireland. Leo Varadkar was speaking as speculation mounts that a deal may be . In the absence of a functioning Stormont executive, the responsibility for resolving this disputefalls tothe UK government. Not registered yet? Unison RVH Branch secretary Conor McCarthy said the union was calling for direct negotiations with the British government. The industrial action follows a ballot of Unite members which returned a 95.30 percent vote for strike. Health and social care workers determined to defend living standards. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Edel McInerney, vice president of the NEU Northern Ireland, said: "It's been such a paltry sum that's been offered that actually in fact it's a pay cut that they're offering us, not a pay deal - we're looking for fair pay. "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. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. It is part of 18 planned days of industrial action. HOT. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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 . N. egotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol are "inching towards conclusion", the Irish Taoiseach has indicated. They said ambulances would still be available but patients with less clinically urgent needs could face long delays. Email: barckley.sumner@unitetheunion.org last took part in a one-day strike in December. The industrial action follows a ballot of Unite members which returned a 95.30 percent vote for strike. While there has always been a sense of general fed up-ness, the mood is much more discontented - making staff even more determined. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham pledged her unions full support for the Roads Service workers: No worker should be subject to bullying and harassment in their place of work. 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. She said Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris should be in Northern Ireland "talking about the crisis in our health service". Of those balloted, 83 per cent voted in favour of strike action,17 per cent voted against strike action. In the absence of a functioning Stormont executive, the responsibility for resolving this disputefalls tothe UK government. They appealed to the public to only call in life-threatening emergencies. Workers, including ambulance service workers, are fighting for a fair pay rise and urgent action to avert an `existential crisisin the service. There's no health minister. Pickets will be established at the following eleven depots: Ballykeel Roads Depot, 190 Larne Link Road, Ballymena; Woodburn Roads Depot, 1a Crescent Road, Derry/LDerry; County Hall, Drumragh Avenue, Omagh; Silverhill Roads Depot, 53a Shore Road, Enniskillen; Carn Roads Depot, Carn Road, Carn Industrial Estate, Portadown; Armagh Roads Depot, 44 Seagoe Industrial Estate, Craigavon; Newry Roads Depot, Springhill Drive, Carnbane Industrial Estate, Newry; Sprucefield Roads Depot, Sprucefield Roundabout, Lisburn; Airport Road Roads Depot, Airport Road, Belfast; Bangor Roads Depot, 72 Balloo Road, Bangor; Sandyknowes Roads Depot, 543 Antrim Road, Newtownabbey. 4000 members of Unite the union will join strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) at health and social care workplaces, across Northern Ireland. Union warns of `existential crisis for health service as NI wages fall further behind. Successful negotiations between the government and trade unions will be key to their resolution. Unite the union announced six new strikes for ambulance workers over the next two months More days of strikes by ambulance workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been announced. Unite today has served notice of a ballot of its members in Northern Ireland's councils, the Education Authority and Housing Executive on strike action in pursuit of a 10 percent pay increase. 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. 2023 BBC. It is now clear that this bonus scheme is broken beyond repair and Managements refusal to integrate this productivity mechanism into payscales has left the workforce with no alternative but to take strike action. Unite has notified management of a series of dates for a campaign of industrial action at Caterpillar in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health said it fully understood the frustration of staff but there was no scope for resolution at local level. "Trust workers have been forced to resort to food banks and take on additional shifts/second jobs," the union said in a statement. Unite has notified the employer that . Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Unite the union represents almost 4,000 health and social care workers across all five health trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. GMB members are continuing action short of strike. Some large retailers reported small supply issues at the time, but other suppliers stepped in to cover gaps in provision. In December, Unite members voted with an average 87 percent majority across all five health trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service for strike action. It is understood union representatives are to meet the Department of Education later this week for further talks. Roads Service maintenance workers in Unite commence one week strikeaction. Two waves of strike action already taken place in Northern Ireland so far, with strikes in December including members of the Royal College of Nursing. To give some background, Council workers from all four unions took part in a number of successful industrial action campaigns in 2021 and 2022. Health workers in the Nipsa and Unison trade unions will also be taking part in strike actions at varying times. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 2023 BBC. 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.. Thousands of education and health workers in Northern Ireland have taken part in strike action on Tuesday. "They [the Department of Education] need to think outside the box, they need to see where money can be saved so that the heart of education - the teachers - are remunerated properly," she said. (LogOut/ The workers seek changes to their terms and conditions meaning the integration of a productivity bonus into their payscales. (LogOut/ Road users have been urged to be extra careful and prepare for potential delays in the event of unforeseen incidents ahead of planned industrial action by members of the GMB and Unite unions. 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. "At the end of the day, it has to be safe for patients". In January, 20,000 healthcare staff in Northern Ireland, including ambulance staff and nurses, took part in a one-day strike as part of a dispute over pay. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is not involved in Thursday's strike, but almost 8,000 nurses who are members of Unison will take part. Thousands of health and education workers are on strike in Northern Ireland today. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Turnover rose 8 percent in 2020 and rose marginally further in 2021 to 361.2 million. "If we don't take a stand we wont have a health service. Unite confirms all out strike action will commence at Belfast Bakery from 6am on Sunday, March 5 Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. (LogOut/ Northern Ireland Health and Social Care workers strike for improved pay. Unite stands fully behind our members in Roads Service who are striking for dignity in their place of work.. Workers at Newry, Mourne & Down District Council prepare to return to industrial action for fairtreatment. More than 20,000 healthcare staff in Northern Ireland have begun a one-day strike as part of a pay dispute. Roads Service maintenance workers in Unite commence one week strikeaction, Overwhelming 93 per cent vote for industrial action at Cargotec in fake TUPEdispute, Thousands of Unite health members to join Northern Ireland-wide strike in demand for fair wages and safestaffing. He is currently in the US on trade talks. 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 27th February. Northern Ireland has a policy of pay parity with England HSC workers covered by the Agenda for Change framework," the department said. 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). Bus drivers with Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 561 have been . 4000 members of Unite the union will join strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) at health and social care workplaces, across Northern Ireland. The Department of Education has pointed out that the education budget is under real pressure. Road Workers demand productivity payment be integrated into payscales to remove potential mechanism for pay victimization. That mood is fuelled by an absence of local government and a feeling that no-one actually cares or even wants to engage. "Everybody's speaking with a clear voice here today, everybody's saying the same thing. Roads Service maintenance workers out on the picket lines across Northern Ireland this morning as a week of strike action commences! This may be the first action of many but with no ministers in place it's hard to see who is listening. The NASUWT has been calling for a 12% increase in salaries, following deadlock over a pay deal for the past year. Union officials added that 80% of management grade staff and 60% of general grade members voted to accept the offers. Northern Ireland teachers' unions INTO and UTU, as well as . The group posted pre-tax profits of almost 50 million in 2021 and is a well-funded business with a strong balance sheet. "The hospitals are choc-a-block. 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. From 7am, around 4,000 members of Unite including ambulance workers will strike over pay and staffing levels. Unite regional officer Sean McKeever said emergency talks were planned for Wednesday morning in an attempt to resolve the dispute. The company can well afford to increase the pay of these workers to provide some protection from the surge in inflation. Last month, around 20,000 healthcare staff in Northern Ireland took also took part in a one day strike. In Northern Ireland many teachers were offered 3.2% for 2021/22 and 2022/23. Unite has notified the employer that continuous (that is all-out) strike action . They mustget on and do so without delay., 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, Hovis workforce votes overwhelmingly for industrial action in pursuit of cost of living payincrease. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: With chronic low pay making it impossible to recruit and retain essential health workers, the health service in Northern Ireland is facing an existential crisis.. Firstly, it was decided to call for a vote of no confidence in the current Chief Executive. The pay offer would mean another real terms pay cut and comes after eleven years of pay freezes. Read about our approach to external linking. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Hovis has previously said its Belfast operation produces 35% of all bread sold in Northern Ireland. THOUSANDS of health workers will once again join picket lines tomorrow over an existential crisis facing the NHS. 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 27th February. The Cargotec workers have Unites full and unstinting support in this battle to defend their jobs., Union warns of `existential crisis for health service as NI wages fall further behind. 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. The strike was ended after staff accepted an 8% pay increase. As we approach February, unions, including teaching unions, are planning a joint hit. Thursday's strike is for 24 hours as opposed to 12 which will have place more strain on patients and management. 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. Schools across Wales will shut again this Thursday when . Civil servants have been placed in the unenviable position that they're having to implement decisions that they're not paid to do. Our members will be joining members of other health trade unions on the picket lines tomorrow, and Unite has already notified employers that we will also be taking action on 16, 17, 23 and 24 February. 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), Overwhelming 93 per cent vote for industrial action at Cargotec in fake TUPEdispute, Thousands of Unite health members to join Northern Ireland-wide strike in demand for fair wages and safestaffing. As a result, there will be a reduced level . 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. "This time it's about defending the fundamentals of the health service and unfortunately that means taking industrial action to get the message across," he added. This action could last months. The workers seek changes to their terms and conditions meaning the integration of a . Sunak makes a House of Commons statement setting out the UK-EU agreement. The Unite union, which represents healthcare staff in Northern Ireland, has moved a planned strike to coincide with industrial action by teachers. Healthcare workers Orlaigh Sewell and Lisa Heaney said they were striking "to save the NHS". 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 amid an unprecedented cost of living crisis. Read about our approach to external linking. . "We want respect and that respect should be reflected in getting an honest day's pay for an honest day's work, which we're not getting and which we haven't got. 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. "Given that policy position, the absence of ministers and current budgetary realities, there is no scope for a resolution at local level. Nipsa spokesperson Patrick Mulholland told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme staff can no longer continue working under current conditions. 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