Jim Allister questions why public purse pays £147,000 each year for trade unionists in just one Stormont department

Jim Allister has questioned why a single Stormont department is spending a six-figure sum annually on trade union officials.
By Adam Kula
Published 11th Aug 2021, 08:00 BST
NIPSA’s homepage this week. The union is currently campaigning for a ban on ‘conversion therapy’ (which some religious advocates warn could end up outlawing prayer), as well as reform of the Gender Recognition Act (a law trans activists aim to alter so that people can legally ‘self-identify’ as a different gender at will)NIPSA’s homepage this week. The union is currently campaigning for a ban on ‘conversion therapy’ (which some religious advocates warn could end up outlawing prayer), as well as reform of the Gender Recognition Act (a law trans activists aim to alter so that people can legally ‘self-identify’ as a different gender at will)
NIPSA’s homepage this week. The union is currently campaigning for a ban on ‘conversion therapy’ (which some religious advocates warn could end up outlawing prayer), as well as reform of the Gender Recognition Act (a law trans activists aim to alter so that people can legally ‘self-identify’ as a different gender at will)

Mr Allister had written to Conor Murphy’s Department of Finance, asking how many civil servants are currently being funded by the public purse as full-time trade union officials, and how much this arrangement costs.

The department replied that it could only answer for itself, and it does have an answer when it comes to Northern Ireland’s eight other government departments.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The finance minister Mr Murphy said his department pays the salary costs of 3.82 full time equivalent civil servants who, though still employed by the department, work as full-time trade union officials.

An array of pro-choice demonstrators in 2019, including a number of NIPSA activistsAn array of pro-choice demonstrators in 2019, including a number of NIPSA activists
An array of pro-choice demonstrators in 2019, including a number of NIPSA activists

The cost for 2020/21 was £147,286.

In response, TUV leader Mr Allister told the News Letter: “While unions play an important role in representing the interests of workers this cost will strike many as excessive, particularly when trade unions collect their own funds from members.

“Additionally, there is the issue of the overtly political campaigns which unions are increasingly involved in, some of which are extremely controversial.”

He noted that union figures have in recent years campaigned on a range of contested issues (ranging, for example, from transgenderism and abortion, to the Arab-Israeli conflict and Irish re-unification).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Consequently, there will be those who question the wisdom of an apolitical civil service paying for full time union officials,” Mr Allister added.

The News Letter put his comments to NIPSA, which represents 16,700 civil servants (plus another 24,000 or so in places like the Housing Executive and health trusts).

In all, the government’s own figures are that NI has 21,600 full time equivalent staff in the civil service – meaning NIPSA would represent over three-quarters of them.

NIPSA bills itself as being the biggest union in Northern Ireland, and its membership rates vary from just over £2 per month for people earning £5,000 per year (minus pension contributions) to just over £13 for people earning £31,215.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This is an annual range of £24.96 per year to a maximum of £156 per year.

Carmel Gates, NIPSA deputy general secretary, said: “Mr Allister is conflating two separate issues.

“The funding for trade union representatives is entirely for their trade union duties.”

This means purely employment-related things like pay negotiations or disciplinary affairs – and she stressed that this is quite different from “trade union activity that trade union reps engage in... on wider social issues”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was put to Ms Gates that when departments pay for trade union officials to work on employment-related tasks, it surely frees up others to focus on social activism.

“The trade union duties NIPSA perform assists employers across the public sector, and other trade unions have similar arrangements in both the public and private sector,” she said.

“Employers do not fund political campaigning either directly or indirectly.”

Glenshane tanker collision victim ‘was a farmer with a lovely character’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Apprentice Boys disinvite loyalists to Londonderry for relief parade over Covid fears

Police probe launches as dead body found after road crash in Co Fermanagh villageDonaldson: I will lead DUP from London – not as First Minister

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.