New strike dates for some Northern Ireland health workers revealed

Nipsa is aiming for "co-ordination" with other trade unions around the January 26 date.

Unison, the largest trade union in the Northern Ireland health service, has said its next strike date has not yet been fully determined but a senior official confirmed to the News Letter on Friday that a date in "late January" is under consideration.

Also speaking to the News Letter, Nipsa deputy general secretary Padraig Mulholland outlined his trade union's industrial action plans for the coming weeks.

"We will be carrying out co-ordinated action short of strike action with our colleagues in Unison - that will run from the 16th until the 29th of January.

Nipsa will also be carrying out separate, continuous action short of strike action, which is ongoing," Mr Mulholland said.

"We are in the process of co-ordinating strike action on either the 19th or the 20th of January - that remains under discussion.

"That will be targeted strike action. It won't be all areas of the health service, only in specific areas, but that remains under discussion."

He continued: "The dispute that Nipsa will be raising in that particular strike action will be the staffing crisis in the health service and the issue of mileage payments. A lot of very low paid workers have to use their own cars for their work and with the mileage rates paid by the health service it is impossible for them to do their job."

Mr Mulholland added: "There will be further strike action on the 26th of January and we are hoping that there will be co-ordination with other unions for that. I can't speak for the other trade unions but, certainly, Nipsa are committed to that at this stage."

Unison official Joe McCusker, speaking to the News Letter, confirmed that a strike date in "late January" is under consideration but stressed that no decision had yet been taken.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), meanwhile, has announced strike dates on January 18 and 19 for locations in England only.