Nipsa health service members to decide on strike action in ballot later this month

The News Letter first revealed, back in early August, that several trade unions were making preparations to ballot members on possible strike action in the health service.

The Royal College of Nursing has since opened a formal strike ballot, while the Unite trade union has completed a consultative ballot whereby a majority of its members in the health service have backed strike action.

At issue is a pay recommendation put forward by a UK-wide review body, with an increase of around 5% on the table for most NHS staff drawing criticism from trade unions. But in Northern Ireland, the absence of a fully functioning Assembly has meant no pay award at all has been put forward.

Announcing an October 27 opening date for its strike ballot, a spokesperson for Nipsa said: “The continued failure of the pay review body to deliver realistic pay rises for members in health, and redress the year-on-year pay cuts, continues to leave members feeling undervalued and unsupported. Aligned to this, the unprecedented recruitment and retention issues continue to give rise to ongoing safe staffing concerns for members and the public.”

The spokesperson added: “The impact of rising inflation and the current cost of living crisis, including excessive fuel costs, impacts greatly on members with many choosing to leave a service clearly in crisis.”

Nipsa official Terry Thomas said: “NIPSA members did not create this crisis in the NHS but they are determined to end it.”