'The industrial action adds insult to injury': Links to News Letter coverage of the January 18 strikes

As today’s mass strike in Northern Ireland saw much of the public sector grind to a halt, a former health minister has declared himself “very disappointed” with the “cynical” timing of the walk-out because of the damage it will do to the NHS.
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Jim Wells was reacting to the fact that several thousand health appointments were cancelled as a result of the industrial action, which by some estimates involved up to 170,000 people.

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Meanwhile Elliot Keck, head of campaigns of the right-wing lobby group the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “These wide-scale strikes will horrifically disrupt hard-working taxpayers.

Jo Grady, General Secretary UCU, addresses union members outside Belfast City Hall, BelfastJo Grady, General Secretary UCU, addresses union members outside Belfast City Hall, Belfast
Jo Grady, General Secretary UCU, addresses union members outside Belfast City Hall, Belfast

“Given the soaring cost of the public sector, this strike adds insult to injury for households facing a record tax burden.

“Ministers must stand up to union bosses and keep the public sector pay bill under control.”

Mr Wells told the News Letter: “I believe they have a democratic right to withdraw their labour in a pay dispute.

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"I find that very disappointing.”

Economist and former UUP MLA Esmond Birnie said he fears that “we will start to acquire a reputation as somewhere which has got tremendous problems of industrial relations and a sense of … ‘who is really governing Northern Ireland?’”

Meanwhile the head of Northern Ireland’s largest public sector union said that civil service boss Jayne Brady “came to show her support” at the picket line at Stormont yesterday, an interpretation which the civil service did not dispute when asked.