Around 4,000 more Northern Ireland health service workers balloted on possible strike action

The Unite trade union has become the latest to ballot its Northern Ireland members on a possible strike, after members of the Royal College of Nursing, Nipsa, GMB and Unison all voted in favour of a strike.

The Unison and Nipsa trade unions have already taken part in industrial action short of a strike, with a move to full strike action to come on Monday, while the Royal College of Nursing has announced two dates for strikes across Northern Ireland, England and Wales – December 15 and 20.

The Unite trade union, which represents around 100,000 NHS workers across the UK, said its healthcare members are warning the NHS is on ‘life support’ and that without serious investment to stem the recruitment and retention crisis and save failing services it may not survive.

In Northern Ireland, Unite represents workers with roles in nursing, healthcare, science, counselling, psychology, dentistry, pharmacology, audiology, optometry, administration, IT and building maintenance services.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Anyone who has had the misfortune to be taken to hospital in an ambulance or spent far too long waiting for treatment knows the NHS is in a fight for its life. Burnt out low paid staff, who have seen their wages attacked every year for more than a decade, are leaving in droves.

“The NHS is on life support and without proper pay and funding it may not survive. That’s why NHS workers are standing up: They know that decent pay is essential to the service’s future.”

A spokesperson for the trade union locally said: “The constant real terms pay cuts and the increasing pressure that workers are experiencing in the Health and Social Care sector are key factors in the growing vacancies for staff. Across the UK, nearly one in 10 posts – 132,000 positions – a figure that is continuing to grow.

“Unite members across all five HSC trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service are being balloted. The ballot results are expected in late December.”