Hospitality leaders urge transport workers to ‘rethink’ strikes

Transport workers from unions representing Translink staff have planned strikes on Friday 15 December and Saturday 16 December, as well as on Friday 22 December.

Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster said he “honestly fears” that job losses or closure of businesses may occur following strikes.

“It’s been three years with Covid and then the cost-of-living crisis, there isn’t any fat in our businesses, they’ve all been working to break even,” he said.

“If they can’t afford to pay people, they can’t afford to pay them.

“I appreciate the right to strike, I actually support the right to strike.

“But doing it at this time of year particularly when it would really just target hospitality and retail I think is wrong.”

Tony O’Neill, owner of Belfast restaurants Coppi and Buba said he felt the strikes would have a “really detrimental effect.”

“I would like them to rethink maybe, not stop striking, I do totally, totally support their right to strike and everything,” he said.

“I just feel that strikes are there to cause sort of disruption but I feel these are causing destruction because they just really closing the whole city down at a time when people are out.

“It’s hitting everybody really, people are out enjoying their Christmas dinners, retail is going to be hit, hospitality.”

Bill Wolsey representing the Beannchor Group said the lack of political representation would mean that the strikes would impact workers and politicians were not in a position to intervene.

“I understand what the point of strikes are, to be disruptive that I understand, but what are they going to achieve?

He added: “So what they need is the politicians to come back, and the politicians aren’t going to come back because Unite is on strike, so all it is going to do is hurt fellow workers.

“Hopefully, the politicians will get back, they’ll take care of the dire position we are in in Northern Ireland not only in transport, but health, schools, connectivity, water, all those things, but this strike will only hurt one type of people and it’s the small employer who is struggling to pay their staff.”

Zoe Watson is the operational director for the Clover Group that encompasses a range of bars in Belfast including Henry’s, Margot and Whites Tavern.

“We totally respect the right to protest and we understand where they’re coming from as well,” she said.

“I suppose it’s just the time of year is very, very impactful, especially after trying to recover from the last couple of years.

“The hospitality industry is obviously one that relies heavily on people being able to come and use taxis to come and visit us.”

She added: “Sometimes it’s more about who you’re disrupting so the way we feel at the minute, you’re obviously disrupting an industry that needs to try and make a lot of profit now to sustain their business during the rest of the year and through the quiet months.”