Northern Ireland Health workers could take industrial action before Christmas, says senior trade unionist as more workers to vote on pay

Several unions are hoping to meet the Stormont Health Minister, Robin Swann, next week as preparations for possible strike action this winter continue.

The Royal College of Nursing has already opened a strike ballot as it pushes for a pay deal that exceeds the soaring rate of inflation, while several others are set to follow suit in the coming weeks.

Senior Unite official Kevin McAdam, speaking to the News Letter, said an indicative ballot has already been completed by his union.

Health workers last went on strike in Northern Ireland the winter of 2019/20. At that time, the Northern Ireland Assembly was deadlocked and a deal on pay and staffing wasn't forthcoming until the restoration of the Executive.

This time around, the Assembly is also deadlocked and the health minister has previously said a pay award recommended by a UK-wide review body can't be implemented unless a fully functioning Executive can be put in place.

But even the recommended pay award has been met with opposition from trade unions both in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain.

Unite official Mr McAdam said: "It's likely to be the start of November when we ballot for industrial action. We had a very strong indicative ballot that shows our members would likely reject what has been proposed by the pay review body. So, on that basis, we are going to move to the next stage which is a ballot for industrial action."

On the powersharing deadlock, he said: "You could say that in 2019/2020 we were responsible for bringing the government back together. We might have to go on and do that again."

Nipsa deputy general secretary Padraig Mulholland, meanwhile, said: "All the unions are pretty near to being in lockstep with this. Nipsa will be balloting its members on strike action and action short of strike action on three issues - pay, the chronic understaffing and the threat to patients that poses, and the mileage rates for workers in the health service.”

He added: "Our ballot process will be starting in the next couple of weeks and we would expect the first industrial action to take place before Christmas."