Rousing speeches given as thousands of striking workers arrive at Belfast City Hall for a mass rally

Thousands are attending the rally in the centre of Belfast, with public sector workers across Northern Ireland on strike.

Thousands of striking workers have arrived at Belfast City Hall for a mass rally.

Feeder parades from Belfast’s Royal Victoria and City Hospitals marched into the city centre.

A union official in Co Tyrone has said workers feel ignored by Stormont politicians.

Bryan Hayes, from the Unison union, was on the picket line outside the Education Authority building in Omagh.

He said: “We feel that we are totally ignored by Stormont.

“The politicians, the only time you see them is when they are looking for your votes on the doorstep.

“My colleagues feel the only way is to come out and picket and show we will not be ignored.

“Our pay is not going up but everything else is. There is no help from government.”

Striking workers chanted: “What do we want? Fair pay! When do we want it? Now!” and “the workers united will never be defeated” as they marched towards the city centre.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said public sector workers in Northern Ireland should get pay rises irrespective of whether Stormont returns.

She said: “I think part of the issue is that people see that the UK Government is using the strikes as leverage to try and force politicians back into work and while I understand why they are doing that, I think it’s immoral.

“People have a claim on pay which is irrefutable and needs to be addressed, irrespective of whether Stormont returns or not.

“It is no more legitimate to hold people’s pay to ransom than it is for the DUP to hold the institutions to ransom.

“We need to get back to proper politics where we actually do the jobs we are paid to do and we pay people properly.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said the Stormont stalemate has contributed to public sector fragility which has resulted in mass strike action.

Mrs Long met striking workers at the Ulster Hospital near Belfast.

She said: “I am really sad that it has come to this and that workers in key services like health and education and all of the other sectors feel that this is the only route left to be able to get what they deserve, which is pay parity with the rest of the UK.

“It is hugely frustrating because, as someone formerly in government, you want to be in a position where you can engage with the unions, to find solutions, to try to negotiate a deal that will allow people to afford the basics.

“There is nobody in charge. For five of the last seven ye

ars we have had no government at Stormont. That has contributed to the fragility of our public services, it has contributed to the fact that people are underpaid.

“We really need to get Stormont up and running, we need to get our hands on the extra money which has been offered from Westminster.

“It will not resolve all of the pay issues, these go much deeper, but it is a good start and it will allow us to at least open up conversations with the unions about how we re-establish some proper means of ensuring people keep their pay in line with what is happening in the rest of the country.”

All aspects of health and social care treatment are being impacted by industrial action in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has said.

A social media post said: “The health service remains under significant pressure.

“All aspects of health and social care are being impacted and there will be delays for those seeking treatment.

“Stay safe and use health services appropriately.

“If your case is an emergency, don’t put off seeking treatment.”

A trade union official has called for a general strike in Northern Ireland if workers’ pay demands are not met.

Patrick Mulholland from Nipsa joined striking workers outside the headquarters of the Northern Ireland Office in Belfast.

Addressing around 50 people at the protest, he said: “Today, Northern Ireland’s public services are frozen by a general strike.

“Today we send the message enough is enough.

“We, the trade union movement, are taking on the issue of people dying because they are on waiting lists, we are taking on the issue of children in our schools being hungry because of the cuts.

“We are taking on the issue of the disintegration of the social fabric of our society and we show no fear.”

He added: “Today is only the beginning. If we do not get social and economic justice, the struggle will continue. Today a public sector general strike, tomorrow everybody general strike.

“Let’s make sure public sector workers, private sector workers, communities, all the people are united and send a strong message, we will not be pushed back into an economic dark age.”

Striking public sector workers are gathering outside the headquarters of the Northern Ireland Office in Belfast.

Union members chanted: “We’re here to embarrass Chris Heaton-Harris.”

Teacher Linda Millar said she was striking so workers in Northern Ireland could get pay parity with the rest of the UK.

Ms Millar, a teacher at Ballyclare Secondary School and a member of the Ulster Teachers’ Union (UTU), was on the picket line at Stormont on Thursday morning with her one-year-old son Ed.

She said: “Our beginning teachers get £8,000 a year less.

“We are losing teachers left, right and centre to Doha, Dubai, everywhere.

“The education system is crumbling. Our buildings are crumbling, we don’t have educational psychologists.

“We want to feel valued as workers and we don’t have the resources.

“It is really important to come out today to support everybody.”

Carmel Gates from Nipsa said that strike action being taken by public sector workers across Northern Ireland is “just the beginning”.

She said: “My members are angry and they are not going to back down.

“This is not something which is a temporary fight. They are so angry at how they have been treated.

“This is the beginning, we will escalate.”

She added: “The Secretary of State needs to know that, this is not the end.

“We need him to go forward now with a budget and we need a budget which is going to sustain our services into the future.”

A union official said public sector workers in Northern Ireland are angry at being used as a “political pawn” by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris.

Carmel Gates, general secretary of Nipsa, was among workers taking part in a picket outside Stormont in Belfast.

She said: “It shows the anger of public sector workers who haven’t had a decent pay rise in more than 10 years.

“Now we believe we are being used as a political pawn in a game by the Secretary of State.”

“We know that the sanctions budget that he imposed and the fact that we are suffering from that has been to force the DUP back into power.

“What was put on the table by the Secretary of State before Christmas is probably not enough to resolve public service pay now and into the future.

“I don’t even believe it’s enough to settle pay awards for now, never mind the fact there is no recurrent budget.

“I also don’t believe that what is on the table is enough to create stability.

“This building behind us is empty, we want an Assembly back, we don’t want an Assembly back on any terms, we want an Assembly with a proper fiscal floor and therefore stability into the future.”

se workers and ensure they have proper pay and conditions.”