“Who’s going to strike on Thursday?” and other questions answered

Teachers, nurses, civil servants, bus drivers, train drivers and many others will be on the picket line Thursday.

In total, tens of thousands of workers from 15 unions will take part in the massive strike. The unions are:

Most of the time, the problem is about pay, or lack of pay.

Many public sector workers have not received raises in the past few years. And this, combined with high inflation that causes prices to rise, means that many people are experiencing a reduction in their real wages.

Unions point to pay rises received by public sector workers in other parts of the UK and say their members are losing out.

Northern Ireland has no government, so Mr Heaton-Harris allocated the budget. The power-sharing executive collapsed in early 2022 when the DUP withdrew its support over a boycott of post-Brexit trade rules.

For the same reason, you are overpaid. Various trade unions and organizations have been organizing separate strikes for several months. For example, in December, when TransLink staff went on strike, buses and trains were stopped for four days.

But Thursday marks the largest movement of its kind, as several unions rallied for a “general day of action.”

In many cases, the simple answer is yes.

Of course, there are differences between sectors, but broadly speaking public sector workers in Northern Ireland are paid less than civil servants in other parts of the UK.

This is largely due to wage increases agreed in recent years for workers in England, Scotland and Wales, while many workers in Northern Ireland are subject to a pay freeze.

Here are some examples of how salaries here compare to other parts of the UK.

According to the labor union, a total of 170,000 union members are scheduled to go on strike.

However, it is unlikely that all members will go on strike, and we will have to wait until Thursday to find out how many will go on strike.

The action was organized by trade unionists opposed to the Sunningdale Agreement and resulted in the first attempt to share power between trade unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland.

There will be widespread disruption across transportation, health care, education, and other services.

No – Translink has announced that no bus and train services will operate during the strike.

Things will return to normal on Friday.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said the motorway network and A1 were covered by private gravel crushing contractors and would be treated as normal.

Snow removal will also be carried out in some difficult areas on higher ground.

This action coincides with a period of very cold weather, with snow warnings issued midweek.

DFI warns people that they should only travel if absolutely necessary.

DFI Colin Sykes said road conditions would be “particularly dangerous”.

He told BBC NI’s Good Morning Ulster programme: “Please slow down, pay close attention to other drivers and be aware that conditions can change while you are on the road.”

Again, this also seems unlikely. The Ministry of Infrastructure has published a list of services expected to be affected by the strike, including MOT and road tests. The list also includes:

Yes, the Ministry of Health asks the public to be fully aware of the fact that “significantly reduced health services” will be in place on Thursday.

They say this will not only mean delays beyond existing levels, but also mean some services will not be available at all.

The ministry advises people to “take all prudent steps to reduce the likelihood of needing medical treatment on the same day.”

But they also say that if anyone needs emergency hospital treatment on the day of the strike, “they must seek medical attention immediately.”

Although GPs are not on strike, GP services will continue to be affected and will only operate on an emergency basis.

This means that your GP surgery will only treat symptoms that can’t wait until the next day, such as chest pain or palliative treatment.

Patients will be unable to:

Buses, transportation to and from hospitals, and transportation to and from hospital testing facilities will also no longer be available.

Education officials said they expected the disruption to be “widespread and impacting all service areas” given the scale of the strike action by teachers’ and non-teachers’ unions.

Parents have been advised that any changes to arrangements such as school opening hours, school meals and transportation services will be communicated by the principal through normal school channels.

Meanwhile, TNC management, which is made up of representatives from various educational organizations, said the strike action would cause “serious disruption and widespread damage that will affect the majority of students, including the most vulnerable, marginalized and disadvantaged children.” “This could lead to school closures,” he warned. ”.

BBC News NI asked all 11 local councils in Northern Ireland and so far five have told us similar stories. It said services such as rubbish collection and leisure centers would be relatively unaffected.

Antrim and Newtownabbey said it would be “business as usual”, while Belfast said parks and playgrounds would remain open but bin collections would continue.

Fermanagh and Omagh councils said staff were not taking part in the strike and services “should continue to operate as normal”.

No, by law police officers cannot go on strike. But Liam Kelly, from the Police Federation of Northern Ireland, said the absence of police officers on the picket line “should not be misunderstood”.

He said they too were “angry, frustrated and disappointed by the actions of the Secretary of State and his colleagues at the NIO, who are using public sector salaries as a means of blatant bludgeoning and bullying for political purposes.” said.

Police officers will not take part in the strike, but the force includes about 2,000 civilian employees who may take part in the strike. For example, hundreds of support staff who are members of the trade union Nipsa will be leaving.

The Secretary of State said the package included £584m to settle public sector pay claims, despite calls from trade unions to do so because they were a devolved issue. , argued that it had no legal authority to release the funds on its own.

The move is part of an attempt to end the power-sharing boycott that the DUP has so far resisted.

However, even if he returns to power, the conflict will not necessarily be resolved. Once the government provides funding, salary negotiations can begin, but the process could take several months.

Political negotiations are ongoing, but so far there are no signs of success in the short term.

Heaton-Harris said if the executive did not return by Friday, a decision would have to be made and next steps would be taken “at the appropriate time.”

This could include passing new laws at Westminster, but he did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Civil Service Secretary Jane Brady has joined calls for funding to be released to resolve pay disputes.

In a letter to the Secretary of State, she added that the strike demonstrated the “frankly untenable position we are currently in”.

DUP leader Sir Geoffrey Donaldson also said Mr Heaton-Harris should release the funds, saying: There’s no need to be there,” he added. He said.