Cancer patients, worried parents and home care aides told BBC News NI how Thursday’s industrial action has affected them.
Thousands of nurses, teachers, civil servants and others are on picket lines in many towns and cities.
There have been several strikes in Northern Ireland in recent years, but this week’s walkover is said to be the biggest in years.
Many workers say they are taking part in the action simply because “we can’t continue like this.”
BBC News NI spoke to people and asked them what impact they thought Thursday’s industrial action would have.
Cancer patient: Caroline Landers
Caroline Landers has stage 3 breast cancer and has missed three appointments due to the strike.
Caroline Landers, from Derrylin, County Fermanagh, had three hospital appointments rescheduled in Londonderry.
Landers was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and has completed chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but will undergo further follow-up treatment.
It wasn’t until Wednesday that she finally confirmed that her appointment at Altnagelvin Hospital would not go ahead as planned.
Nevertheless, she said she fully supports the strike action and fully supports the nurses, even if it affects her own bookings.
She said she has seen firsthand how hard medical staff are working and how much pressure the health system is under.
“I fully support nurses who are striking for their jobs,” she said.
“They are entitled to equal pay compared to people in other parts of the UK, so I fully support realigning appointments to give them a say.”
Ms Landers is one of many who have seen their hospital bookings affected as many nurses, midwives and other medical staff take part in industrial action.
Many hospitals, including Altnagelvin, are scheduled to have shortened hours on Thursday, with hospital leaders warning that the strike will have a “huge impact on healthcare”.
Care worker: Ashlyn Quigley
Home care assistant Ashlyn Quigley says she’s worried about going to work.
Ashlyn Quigley, a home care assistant from Limavady, says she fully supports workers’ right to strike, but cannot support actions such as not paving some roads during weather warnings.
Quigley, who works at a long-term care agency, said her job requires her to drive up to 50 miles a day to visit homes filled with elderly people.
“I’m supposed to be a nurse on Thursday, but the salt producers are expected to be out because there’s a weather warning,” she said.
“For people like us, how are we expected to get to our customers or anywhere else when the weather is this bad?
“I travel a lot on back roads and country roads, so it’s quite nerve-wracking to go to work, and I feel a bit of pressure to go to people who need care.
“I understand why they are going on strike, but with the weather warnings so severe this week, I don’t think they should go ahead with the strike. I think it should be postponed.”
Ms Quigley said she was concerned that people who need to drive as part of their job could “put their lives at risk” if they had to go out on untreated roads.
Concerned Parent: Linda Devenney
image source, Linda Devenney
Linda Devenney’s son Luca’s hospital appointment has been rescheduled.
Linda Devenney said she was “angry and disappointed” that her son’s hospital appointment had been postponed because of the strike.
Luka, 19 months old, has been suffering from severe eczema problems for a year.
He was scheduled to see a dermatologist on Thursday, but his mother said the plan was changed.
“I was heartbroken. It may seem like a small thing to some people, but he was in so much pain he would scratch himself until he bled at night,” she said. explained.
“This was an important appointment because I was at a loss about everything. I feel angry and very disappointed.”
Mr Deveny said he supported those who felt the need to strike for fair wages, but added: “You can’t cause so much disruption in one day.”
“I’m angry too, because we’ve known for quite some time that this strike was happening,” she said.
“Why am I only getting calls this week about cancellations? This is not good enough.”