Health strike: Trade union Unison urges Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris on health workers' pay

A similar call was made by the former Health Minister Robin Swann earlier this week.

Health staff across the UK are considering strike action as trade unions demand an inflation-busting pay rise, but in Northern Ireland the political impasse at Stormont has meant that even the pay award that prompted strike ballots elsewhere in the UK has not been put forward.

Trade unions including Unison and Nipsa are currently balloting Northern Ireland members on strike action, while the Royal College of Nursing has already completed a ballot and is due to announce the results imminently.

Unison's head of bargaining in Northern Ireland, Ann Speed, has written to the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris to urge him to deal with the pay issue.

The Royal College of Nursing, meanwhile, has already completed a strike ballot and is due to announce results imminently.

It is expected RCN members will go on strike before Christmas.

In her letter, Ms Speed wrote: "Given your intention to set a course over the coming weeks we ask you to bring your influence to bear on the Prime Minister to allow scope for and fund further UK-wide uplifts in 2022 to deliver protection against inflation. This would also provide scope for you to address the consequent omission of the PRB recommendation here in Northern Ireland, and ensure that a returned devolved Northern Ireland Executive has discretion to additionally resource pay improvement for 2022."