Northern Ireland public trade union strikes: Unions call on Chris Heaton-Harris to release pay rise in light of progress with DUP

However union members in Translink insist they will walk out as planned on Thursday, bringing all bus and train services to a halt.

Unions have caused severe disruption across NI since last month in protest at the lack of pay parity with colleagues in Great Britain. On 18 January over 100,000 public sector workers took part in an unprecedented day of action across Northern Ireland.

Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris has put a £3bn package on the table to boost the ailing public sector with £600m to resolve pay disputes, but says it will only be released when the DUP returns to Stormont.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is now selling the deal he has achieved with Government to address unionist concerns with the NI Protocol, which caused his party to withdraw from power-sharing two years ago.

It is reported that the 150-strong DUP Executive supported the deal in a secret ballot last night in Lisburn.

Speaking after last night’s decision by the DUP, Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Assistant General Secretary Gerry Murphy called on Mr Heaton Harris to unlock the financial package now.

“The decision by the DUP to return to the NI Executive will be welcomed by the thousands of workers who took strike action on 18 January," Mr Murphy said.

"This means the Secretary of State must now deliver on his promise and unlock the financial package he has withheld from the NI Department of Finance. Talks between trade unions and public sector employers must begin immediately so workers can reap the rewards of their principled resistance to these shameful political games.”

However the GMB union, whose members operate in Translink, said planned action this Thursday would still go ahead.

Peter Macklin, GMB Organiser said: "As it stands, there is no offer on the table; Thursday's strike will go ahead. However GMB will discuss developments with members and act according to their wishes."

The union says up to 2,500 bus and rail workers are due to walk out on 1 February. Public transport trade unions GMB, Unite and SIPTU announced the action on 23 January.

Up to 2,500 bus and rail workers will walk out "in anger" that Mr Heaton-Harris has not released funding for public transport services to allow "a cost of living pay increase".

This is the first of a likely four further days of strike action to be taken in February.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) also called on Mr Heaton Harris to release the funding.

A spokeswoman said: "At this point, there has been no move from the employers to negotiate any pay settlement, it would be therefore premature for the teacher unions to review the on going industrial action. Should talks begin, it may give a window of opportunity to pause planned strike action, however, action short of strike would continue.

“The amount that has been made available to settle the public sector pay dispute is close to £600m, which, given the length of time that public sector workers have been waiting to have their issues addressed, may not be enough. We would call on Chris Heaton Harris to release the funding available so that the employers can enter negotiations and a just pay settlement be agreed.”

Pauline Buchanan and Mark Langhammer, Joint-Regional Secretaries of the National Education Union, said: “NEU welcome progress towards re-establishing an Executive with sufficient funds to address outstanding fair-pay awards for the past three pay years. We will now work with alacrity within the teachers negotiation framework to finalise a pay proposal to put before our members by ballot.”

Jackie Bartley, president of school leaders' union NAHT in Northern Ireland (NAHTNI) also welcomed the DUP move to return to Stormont.

"We fully expect that the funding which should already be meeting the needs of Northern Ireland’s decimated public services will now be released by the Secretary of State with urgency,” she said.“Discussions between the department, employing authorities and the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC) must be expedited in pursuit of a resolution to the ongoing dispute, following which, the NAHT will be ready, able and willing to work constructively with all parties to undo the damage that has been inflicted upon our schools in recent years.”

Claire Ronald, Senior negotiating Officer at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said the developments with the DUP were “an important breakthrough that is long overdue” and also that it "removes any remaining excuses not to deliver fair pay for HSCNI staff”.

She added: “Health and social care staff in Northern Ireland remain the lowest paid across the UK. They are yet to be offered a pay uplift for 2023/24 and without a functioning assembly have had no way to discuss the non-consolidated award that England received for 2022/23."

Mr Heaton-Harris welcomed the political progress this morning, but made no mention of imminently releasing any funds.

“This is a welcome and significant step,” he said. “I am grateful to Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and colleagues for the constructive dialogue over the past months and to the other political parties in Northern Ireland for the patience they have shown during this time.

“I am pleased that the DUP have agreed to accept the package of measures that the UK Government has put forward and as a result they are ready to return to the Northern Ireland Assembly and nominate representatives to the Northern Ireland Executive.

“Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said this is subject to the binding commitments between the Democratic Unionist Party and the UK Government - I can confirm that we will stick to this agreement.

“I now believe that all the conditions are in place for the Assembly to return, the parties entitled to form an Executive are meeting today to discuss these matters and I hope to be able to finalise this deal with the political parties as soon as possible.”