Northern Ireland bus-and-rail strike: 'Businesses may be forced to close due to lack of staff... some are on life support and need a good Christmas'

​It is the latest in a series of rolling strikes by bus and rail workers over pay, and will apply across the board – there will be no timetabled Translink services operating anywhere.

This will last throughout Friday, with normal service being resumed on Saturday.

Business lobbyists have told the News Letter that the strike could have dire consequences for traders, coming on what is among the busiest shopping and social days of the year.

Colin Neill of Hospitality Ulster (representing pubs and restaurants) made a last-ditch plea tonight: “We’d reiterate our calls to the unions to understand the damage they are doing at the most crucial time of year.”

At the same time Glyn Roberts of Retail NI said that “right across our membership there is grave disappointment this strike is going ahead – obviously, it’s one of the most significant shopping days, and indeed days for hospitality”.

Retail NI represents about 2,000 members, largely at the smaller end of the business spectrum; this includes fashion outlets, phramacies, and convenience stores.

He went on: “There are independent retailers that are on life support. They need this Christmas to go well for them.

"It’s not just customers struggling to get in – it’s also our members of staff.

"I had a member who 75% of his staff use public transport, so that’s causing him great difficulty.”

Could shops close today as a result?

“It could well mean that. It could also mean opening times could be curtailed as well.

"With effectively a mini-general strike planned for January 18, we simply can’t afford a winter of discontent like this with strike after strike.”

He said that the over half-a-billion pounds which the UK government has stumped up for a revived Stormont to pay public sector pay claims “should be paid now”, and not if and when devolution returns.

His mention of January 18 refers to an all-out public sector strike that is planned for that date.

Right now inflation in the UK is sitting at 3.9%.

It had peaked this time last year, when the CPI rate stood at a whopping 10.7%.

It fell to around 7% by the middle of the year, but at 3.9% the current rate is still far above the government target of 2%.

The current round of strike action had begun with a 24 hour strike on Friday, December 1.

There was also a 48 hour one last Friday and Saturday.

At that time, SIPTU regional organiser Niall McNally had said: “We are calling on civil society to get behind the public transport workers.

"This strike is the cutting edge of the fight for proper funding for all public services in Northern Ireland; funding that will provide decent pay for all public sector workers and end the staffing crisis.

"The clock is ticking for Mr Heaton-Harris – he needs to move and address our members’ pay concerns before we further escalate strike action in the new year.”