Healthcare workers across Northern Ireland stage strike in pay dispute

Hundreds of healthcare workers from across Northern Ireland have gone on strike as part of an ongoing dispute over pay.

Unison and Nipsa members, including representatives from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) protested at Belfast City Hall after the Department of Health said it could not make them a formal pay offer.

Workers across the public sector have been taking industrial action in recent months over concerns that wages are not matching the rate of inflation.

The Unison union has said health workers in Northern Ireland are being left behind the rest of the UK.

Unison said its members remain determined not to be ignored.

Healthcare worker Cormac Craig said the strike action was a response to the pay discrepancies workers in Northern Ireland are facing.

“We’re short-staffed, we’re underpaid, in fact we’re actually fourth class citizens in the UK based on pay alone,” he said.

“We’re standing here because we’ve had no offer, every other union in the UK have got an offer from the government, we don’t.”

Mr Craig added: “We have to be here. We don’t want to be on strike, we want to be on the wards, we want to be in our jobs, but they’ve left us no choice.”

Domiciliary care worker Cheryl Lawson said workers in Northern Ireland were being ignored by the Government.

“We’re low paid, the system around us is crumbling, we need something set in place,” she said.

“Across the waters (they have) been given offers, we haven’t been given an offer, it’s ridiculous.

“We shouldn’t be thrown to the side.”

Ms Lawson added: “We’re ignored because of where we live.”

The Department of Health said it regrets the impact the industrial action will have.

“The department fully understands the frustrations of staff and the severe challenges they have been working under,” it said in a statement.

“As things stand, the department is not in a position to make a formal pay offer.

“This reflects the current absence of a budget for 2023/24 and the expectation of a significant financial shortfall.

“We are potentially facing high-impact cuts on health and social care services that are already under considerable pressure.”