Northern Whig pub boss says ‘this Translink strike will cost some people their businesses - worker should not be pitted against worker'

Train and bus services in Northern Ireland were halted en masse for the fourth day in December today, as workers attempt to win improved pay from Translink.

Unite, GMB and SIPTU were the unions involved, and another public sector-wide strike is planned for January 18.

As reported during the week, some workers are divided over the yuletide strikes; the train drivers’ wing of Unite had refused to join any strike action in December because it would cause too much inconvenience to the public at large (though train drivers are balloting for industrial action right now, and expect to strike on January 18).

Click here: Pre-Christmas bus-and-rail strikes dubbed 'heavy-handed' by union rep

Tonight Stephen Magorrian, managing director of the Horatio Group, spelled out exactly what the strikes mean for the bar-and-restaurant trade.

The Horatio Group is comprised of three venues: The Northern Whig in Belfast city centre, Horatio Todd’s in east Belfast, and Denvir’s in Downpatrick.

Whilst the latter two will not suffer too badly from the strike, he expects the Northern Whig takings to be down by perhaps 20 to 30%.

"From what I'm hearing, the smaller outlets are getting it tougher than the bigger outlets,” he said.

"The larger outlets would have bookings at Christmas of 20, 30 at a table. The general trend is those bookings are down in numbers: 30 people booked, but 25 turned up.

"Whereas in smaller places they would have tables of twos and fours and are getting cancellations – people just not coming at all.

"The biggest impact today is walk-ins: people who haven't booked and are just out on the town, have done a bit of shopping, and are looking for a drink before they go home. That has been affected badly.”

He said a great many pubs and eateries rely on a strong Christmas to compensate for the “leaner months” afterwards.

"I'd expect some of those won't make it now,” he said. “I think it's a serious as that.”

The knock-on effect for those that survive will be reduced hours in the New Year, with restaurants closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for example.

"For workers in our industry, they will suffer in that there won't be as much work about,” he added.

"What we tried to explain to them [the unions] was that, for our industry, this is destruction – not disruption.

"If we have bookings on a Christmas Friday night, we can't get them in January – it's gone.

"You're setting your industry against our industry. Workers should not be set against workers, but that's kind of what's happened from our point of view.

"A worker attacking a worker to make a point isn't a good way of doing it.

"Some businesses will close as a consequence – for me, that's too high a price to pay.”

Unite shop steward Andy Scott was among those on the picket line outside the Europa Bus Centre in Belfast today, and pointed out that the strike hits them too: “It is a big sacrifice for us to lose four days' pay in the month of December.

"We are still strong and everyone is still committed.

"We are too far into it now to back down, and the strikes will continue unless we get a pay rise."

Normal services resume on Saturday.