Around 1,600 BT and Openreach workers, including 999 call handlers, on strike today in Northern Ireland in dispute over pay

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), including 999 call handlers who operate out of a call-centre in Portadown, walked out for 24 hours following a wave of stoppages in recent weeks.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said his members remained determined to continue with the action, adding: “We’re never going to walk away from this.”

Speaking to the News Letter, local CWU officer Erin Massey said the mood on picket lines here remains upbeat and determined despite the lack of progress in negotiations with the employers.

"We have picket lines in loads of places - in Belfast, Newry, Ballymena, Portadown with the 999 call centre, in Derry, Bangor in locations all over Northern Ireland," she said.

"We have the Openreach engineers, both those who are out-and-about - the field engineers - and also the desk-based engineers.

"The rest would be call-centre staff, both home workers and office-based staff.

She continued: "It should be around 1,600 members on strike today, which is quite a substantial number of people."

The union representative added: "The mood on the picket lines is good, it's quite uplifting because we are still very determined. BT still hasn't come back to the negotiating table as far as I'm aware."

A BT Group spokesperson said: “We will do whatever it takes to protect 999 services, redeploying our people to the most important priority is a normal part of BT Group operations.

“We made the best pay award we could in April and we have held discussions with the CWU to find a way forward from here.

“In the meantime, we will continue to work to minimise any disruption and keep our customers and the country connected.”

CWU officials were set to meet major BT shareholders on Monday to warn that backing strikes is “the only thing to do”.

Maintenance and call backlogs across the UK are growing by the day as the strike action takes a grip, said the union.