Massive Public Sector Strike in Northern Ireland Over Pay Dispute

Unions Warn of Escalating Action as Northern Ireland Secretary Refuses to Intervene

• An estimated 150,000 public sector workers across Northern Ireland have taken part in the biggest strike action in the region’s recent history, demanding pay awards made to counterparts elsewhere in the UK.
• Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has been urged to intervene to release funding for delayed pay awards but has refused, stating the matter is a devolved one.
• The strike action has led to major disruptions, with schools closed, hospitals offering only Christmas Day-level services, public transport cancelled and limited gritting of the roads in 0C temperatures.
• There has been no functioning powersharing government in Northern Ireland for almost two years due to a DUP boycott of the institutions in protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements.
• Unions warn that action will escalate in the future if their pay demands are not met.

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