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Today's strike action is affecting public services and private businesses on an unprecedented level. It's not a day to take ill with many country roads challenging with icy conditions, and ambulance and hospital staff working at a much reduced level. With the suspension of Translink bus and train services and no gritting services many will also find it impossible to get to work.
Departments at the non-sitting Stormont Executive are even advising people not to travel unless it's absolutely necessary.
The Department of Health believes that the disruption to services will be on a scale not experienced from previous industrial action and has asked the public to take all sensible steps to reduce the chances of requiring health service treatment on the day.
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is advising people not to travel unless essential and if they need to travel, to take particular care on Thursday and Friday given the potential for icy conditions and disruption to the gritting service.
Where possible, contingency plans are being put in place, but regardless there will be widespread disruption today Thursday, which will affect the following services:
- Winter service – gritting of the road network;
- Repair of serious infrastructure defects such as manhole collapse or potholes;
- Prioritisation of assistance to those incidents with most impact to life and property;
- Response and clear-up operation when there are incidents on the road such as oil spills or unexpected debris;
- Drainage infrastructure clearing and cleansing;
- MOT services and driving tests;
- Strangford Ferry services;
- A significant reduction in our capacity to respond to flood emergencies;
- Significant delays in responding to calls to the flood incident line.
Department of Health (DoH)
Today's industrial action is expected to impact across a wide range of areas including planned and unplanned (urgent/emergency) hospital services, community services such as day centres, district nursing and domiciliary care as well as ambulance cover.
The Department has asked the public to use services appropriately and help ensure care is available to those who need it most and to take all sensible steps to reduce your chances of requiring health service treatment on the day. At the same time, if you need emergency hospital care on the day, you must seek it immediately.
Trusts will work with trade union representatives to seek to protect emergency care.
Department for Communities (DfC)
The Department for Communities is working to minimise impact on customers, this includes ensuring that benefit payments due on Thursday 18 January will be paid by that date.
Other services likely to be impacted include:
- Jobseeker's Allowance signing is excused on Thursday 18 January.
- Customers may experience increased call waiting times on telephone services and online claim services.
- Visitor Centre and toilets at Dundrum Castle will be closed but there will still be public access to the site. Other state care monument sites may be affected, visitors should check online.
- Most sessions of the Appeals Tribunal have been postponed.
- Some disruption to PRONI services is likely, including a reduced onsite service.
Other services impacted include:
- Education bodies have said there will be severe disruption and widespread school closures impacting the vast majority of pupils.
- Restricted court and tribunal service.
- Potential reduced services at Land and Property Services offices, the General Register Office NI and DAERA Direct Offices (online services available).
- Reduced Careers Service webchat availability.
In defence of public services
Speaking of todays action Unite the Union general secretary Sharon Graham said. “Years of underfunding and cutbacks, a low pay driven staffing crisis and creeping privatisation have lacerated our vital public services. This strike action represents a demand for a society where public services are delivered with proper staffing, by workers paid decently and treated with respect and dignity.
“Strike action is being taken by workers in defence of public services which benefit everyone. Low pay is driving a staffing crisis as workers vote with their feet. Unite is entirely focussed on protecting and enhancing our members jobs, pay and conditions and the union’s workers involved in this dispute have its complete support.
Cruel boycott
Slieve Gullion Councillor Oonagh Magennis has expressed solidarity with road workers calling for them to be fairly paid.
The Sinn Féin spokesperson for Infrastructure said “Road service workers, like all public sector workers, deserve fair pay and quality working conditions.
“Rather than working with other parties to deliver a fair pay deal for workers, the DUP have again blocked the return of an Assembly.
“Thousands of public sector workers, including road service workers will now be forced to strike in freezing conditions tomorrow in demand for fair pay and conditions
“This cruel boycott is denying our workers and our public services the fair pay and investment that they deserve.”
