Health workers 'prepared to strike' over late pay deal

UNISON members protesting in front of Parliament Buildings

Health workers have held a protest at Stormont over their pay, which was organised by the health union Unison ahead of a meeting of the Health Committee.

The workers are angry that their 2024/25 pay rise has not yet been actioned meaning their pay has fallen behind health workers' pay in the rest of the UK.

Maura McKenna, the co-chair of Unison’s Regional Health Committee, said healthcare workers in Northern Ireland are frustrated at their treatment.

“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."

BBC News NI understands that the Department of Health will be seeking as much as £320m at the Stormont monitoring round to fund pay claims.

Maura McKenna of Unison says current healthcare staff pay is unacceptable.

'Staff are furious'

Unison represents over 27,000 workers in the health service across Northern Ireland.

A pay rise was agreed as part of a series of measures to bring about the end of strike action at the start of 2024.

“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 statement the Department of Health said that the Health Minister "continues to press the case for this additional funding".

"The health service requires significant additional funding to match 2024/25 pay awards recommended by pay review bodies."

A hospital bed was brought to the steps of Stormont

Maura McKenna said workers in Northern Ireland are treated as a “poor relation”.

“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 group of Unison members spoke to the chair and the the Vice Chair of the Health Committee who they said were “supportive”.

“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 believes the public will support health workers if they choose to strike again.

“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?