Joint Trade Union press release

Transport workers left with no alternative after failure of secretary of state for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris to intervene and resolve pay dispute

Unions challenge secretary of state’s inaction to deliver pay increase given willingness to intervene on other issues

Workplace reps and officers from Unite, GMB and SIPTU met this morning to agree the next steps in their campaign to secure a cost of living pay increase. The workers have agreed a schedule of strike action with dates to be notified to the employer on Wednesday (December 6).

The meeting of workplace reps follows the highly successful strike action by public transport workers last Friday [December 1^st] which brought all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland to a standstill. The strikes are a direct result of Translink’s refusal to make a pay increase, a substantial real terms pay cut, with inflation (RPI) standing at 11 per cent, when the pay increase was due.

The unions are calling for the secretary of state to intervene to properly fund public transport services in the region – including provision of a cost of living pay increase. Both their employer Translink and its sponsor, the department for infrastructure, highlight inadequate funding under the budget imposed by the secretary of state as the reason for a lack of a pay increase.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said. “Translink workers are facing a huge real terms pay cut. This is completely unacceptable and must be reversed. Last Friday’s strike action shows the strength of feeling among our members. Their plans for escalated strike action has Unite’s complete support.”

 GMB Regional Organiser Peter Macklin challenged the failure of the Secretary of State to intervene. “The secretary of state says that he can’t intervene to resolve this industrial dispute but the truth is that it is a direct result of the punitive budget he imposed on the department for infrastructure which left Translink with no funding for a pay increase. The strike action resulted in a significant impact both socially and economically, which our members deeply regret, but the inaction of the secretary of state means workers have no alternative but to further escalate our strike action to secure a much-needed cost of living pay increase.”

SIPTU Regional Organiser Niall McNally challenged the secretary of state to explain how he has been able to intervene repeatedly on other issues but says he cannot on transport workers’ pay. “Chris Heaton-Harris appears to want to adopt a ‘pick and mix’ approach where he can intervene to direct policy when it suits him on some issues but then can claim he has no powers to intervene when it comes to improving workers’ pay. The reality is that he is using these brutal budgets as a weapon to corral the political parties back into government. That amounts to a policy of collective punishment of workers and the most vulnerable and will never be acceptable.”

Notification of further planned strike action will be provided to Translink and made public on Wednesday [December 6^th].