Northern Ireland Health Staff Consider Strike Over Delayed Pay Deal

Healthcare personnel staged a demonstration at Stormont concerning their remuneration. This event was orchestrated by the health trade union Unison, preceding a session of the Health Committee. These employees express dissatisfaction because their scheduled pay increase for 2024/25 has not been implemented, resulting in their wages lagging behind those of health workers elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Maura McKenna, who serves as co-chair of Unison’s Regional Health Committee, stated that healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland feel frustrated by their current situation. She quoted: “We are being told the Minister would like to pay it but he doesn’t have the money to pay it. We have staff here working at 1p above the minimum wage and that is not acceptable.” According to information obtained by BBC News NI, the Department of Health intends to request up to £320m during the Stormont monitoring round to cover outstanding pay claims. Unison acts on behalf of more than 27,000 individuals employed within Northern Ireland’s health service. An agreement for a pay increase was reached earlier in 2024, forming part of a package designed to conclude industrial action. The statement continued: “We went out on industrial action last year, and we had all our elected representatives tell us ‘ we support you’ well they need to support us now. “They need to make sure that that money is put in the pockets of our staff from band 2 all the way to the top. People are entitled to get that pay raise. And why should we wait?” In a formal communication, the Department of Health affirmed that the Health Minister “continues to press the case for this additional funding.” It added: “The health service requires significant additional funding to match 2024/25 pay awards recommended by pay review bodies.” Maura McKenna characterized the treatment of workers in Northern Ireland as being like a “poor relation.” She elaborated: “In England they are talking about the pay rise for 2025/26 and we haven’t even got the 2024/25 pay rise. And it’s so disheartening and staff are furious. “We are always the poor relation and we are not prepared to put up with it anymore and if it has to be industrial action we’ll be out.” A delegation of Unison members engaged with the chair and vice chair of the Health Committee, describing them as “supportive.” They conveyed: “They are telling us there’s not enough money but there’s never enough money. We are always underfunded here in Northern Ireland.” Maura McKenna expressed her conviction that the public would back health workers should they decide to undertake further strike action. She stated: “We deliver a fantastic service here and we would like to think the greater public would support us as well. Why should we be different than anywhere else?