No need for further transport strikes following political progress: Retail NI

Retail NI chief executive ​Glyn Roberts said there is no justification for the planned three further days of industrial action, now that the DUP has moved to restore the power-sharing executive at Stormont.

Although the UK Government has set aside £600 million to fund a public sector pay rise, NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has refused to allocate the money – insisting it is now the responsibility of the next NI Executive.

Mr Roberts said: "They should be called off. There is absolutely no need to strike. The assembly hopefully will meet this weekend, ministers will be in place next week, then the unions can get down to discussions with ministers about allocationing the £600 million.

"The focus should be on negotiations now and creating good will. To start any negotiation, you need to create good will.”

Mr Roberts said he thought further strikes will prove “counterproductive” and “may even potentially make the job of negotiating so much harder.”

Mr Roberts said Thursday’s transport strike “caused considerable disruption,” and added: "The biggest challenge was obviously many of our members getting their staff who use public transport into the store.

"Many of them are asking the question – ‘why did this strike go ahead when we’re making such good political progress?’

“I hope this strike will be the last for the foreseeable future. The focus now has to be on the new ministers coming in… let’s get this pay dispute resolved”.

There are three trade unions involved in the transport workers’ industrial action.

In a joint statement, the unions said: “Despite recent political developments, no improved pay offer has been made to the public transport unions. There is no clarity on the timing of such an offer or even a timeframe for negotiations.”

Alan Perry of the GMB said the unions “want to find a settlement, but it’s not there” at the minute.

"We would be very foolish at this moment in time just to call something off on the basis that there may be a promise,” he told the BBC’s Nolan Show earlier this week.

"We know how promises can be broken. We know on numerous occasion that Secretary of State has backtracked.”