All three front-line public transport unions commence coordinated strike ballots members at Translink

A delegation of workforce reps and trade union officials are to meet Denis McMahon, Infrastructure Department permanent secretary tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon

Representatives of Unite, SIPTU and GMB will meet the permanent secretary of the Department for Infrastructure Denis McMahon at his offices at 14:00 on Wednesday, November 1 to discuss the potential for bus and rail workers to strike in the run up to Christmas.

Workers in all three unions are in dispute with their employer Translink over the company’s refusal to make a pay offer and instead attempt to instigate a pay freeze.

Translink management claims that they do not have the financial resources to make an improved pay offer due to the tight constraints on public transport funding by the Department for Infrastructure – an outcome forced by the ‘sanctions’ budget imposed on Northern Ireland Departments by Conservative secretary of state for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris in the absence of a functioning executive.

All three unions began balloting their members for industrial action yesterday (Monday 30 October).

The strike ballots are due to close on Thursday 16 November (Unite) and Friday 17 November (GMB and SIPTU). The first possible date for strike action could be Friday 1 December. It is anticipated that any strike action would bring all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland to a standstill.

Sharon Graham general secretary of Unite said: “With inflation standing at 8.9 per cent, management is trying to inflict a massive real-terms pay cut on its workers. Translink workers keep Northern Ireland functioning they cannot and will not accept a huge attack on their pay.”

Speaking for GMB, regional organiser Peter Macklin said: “We are going to bring our members’ pay claim to the permanent secretary. It is simply not good enough that the Department and Translink are telling bus and rail workers that there is no money for a pay increase.

“If our members strike, the impact on bus and rail services will be total. Not a service will move. We need to see movement to avoid this scenario becoming a reality.“

Niall McNally is regional organiser for SIPTU and he warned of the impact a strike of bus and rail workers would have: “If there are no bus and rail services, workers don’t get to work, children don’t get to school. Without the labour of public transport workers Northern Ireland will come to a standstill.

“The authorities tell us that there’s no money for a pay increase for transport workers but the cost of this strike to the economy of Northern Ireland will be potentially huge. We will be meeting the permanent secretary with the expectation that he will hear and understand what continued inaction is doing to our members and to public transport services.“