Health staff in Unison and Nispa to take industrial action

As reported to the BBC, healthcare staff who are members of two of Northern Ireland’s biggest unions will begin industrial action on 5 December as part of a dispute over pay

The move by the Unison and Nipsa unions follows an announcement by the Royal College of Nursing that its members will strike on 15 and 20 December.

Unison said the cost-of-living crisis was ‘biting deep’ and it was ‘foolish’ to assume workers would ‘suck it up’.

Nipsa said the action was ‘likely to be the strongest ever’ by health staff.

A spokesperson for Stormont’s Department of Health said health authorities would work to protect critical services as much as possible during the industrial action but warned there would ‘inevitably be an impact on patient care’.

Unison members will take action short of strike on 5 December before a one-day strike on 12 December.

Nipsa members will begin ‘indefinite action short of strike’ on 5 December.

Patricia McKeown, Unison’s Northern Ireland regional secretary, said action short of strike meant health staff would only work the hours they were contracted to do.

“There are thousands of free hours given by health workers to the system every week,” she said.