Northern Ireland health trusts insist planning ongoing for looming industrial action

Several trade unions have now announced plans to go on strike in Northern Ireland, with industrial action short of strike also set to take place within days.

The Unison trade union say thousands of its nurses and other health workers will begin industrial action short of a strike on Monday, with a one-day strike planned a week later on December 12.

Members of Nipsa who work in the health service are also due to begin industrial action short of a strike on Monday, with the union having previously announced its intention to stage strikes later in the month.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland, meanwhile, are due to join their colleagues in England and Wales on strike on December 15 and 20.

Amid reports the UK government is considering the use of military medics to deal with NHS strikes in Great Britain, the News Letter asked Northern Ireland's health trusts what preparations are being made to deal with the forthcoming industrial action.

Several health Trusts insisted plans are being developed, but none said what they are.

With just days to go, a spokesperson for the Northern Trust said it is "too early" to provide details.

The Belfast Trust, meanwhile, promised to "keep the public informed".

A spokesperson for the South Eastern Trust said: "The South Eastern Trust has put contingency plans in place to minimise disruption to services during industrial action."

A spokesperson for the Belfast Trust said: “The Belfast Trust is currently undertaking detailed contingency planning following the recent announcement of industrial action. We will keep the public informed as soon as we know what impact this will have on our services.”

A spokesperson for the Northern Trust said it "acknowledges" the outcome of trade union ballots, adding: "At this stage it is too early to provide any level of detail on the impact of such action.

The Trust is currently planning for industrial action and is working closely with Trade Unions with a view to protecting critical services and in mitigating as far as possible any impact on patients and service users."