Newry and Mourne: Hundreds join picket line in dispute over pay

Unions have flagged more action early next year if no agreement can be reached

Hundreds of staff from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) are on strike on Thursday in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The action is expected to affect all council services, except weddings and funerals.

The dispute dates back to the merging of the two former councils in 2015.

If agreement cannot be reached, further action is planned for the New Year. But both sides are hopeful of a settlement before then.

The four unions, who represent almost 1,000 workers, have also raised concerns about an ongoing redundancy scheme.

Workers are rotating between four picket lines to ensure social distancing

Last month, members of Unite the union, GMB, Nipsa and Siptu backed industrial action.

There were four pickets on Thursday - two in Downpatrick and two in Newry - with the four unions rotating those in attendance in order to comply with social distancing regulations.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the unions said progress had been made, but have accused senior management of "dragging their feet" over wages of lower-paid workers since the merger of Newry and Mourne District Council with Down District Council in 2015, while benefiting from their own being raised.

Speaking at one of the picket lines on Thursday, Kieran Ellison of Unite the union said he remained hopeful that agreement could be reached.

"We would love to get this resolved and this could have been resolved if management had put the impetus into getting this resolved," he said.

"We have worked through many of the issues but there are still some outstanding including to pay protections that they appear to want to run over the top of. If things cannot be resolved then we are faced with no other option than to take further action in January.

"But if that can be avoided and we can come to a compromise then that is something we can do."

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In a statement issued on Wednesday, the council said it, too, hoped a resolution could be reached.

"Newry, Mourne and Down District Council remains fully committed to resolving this dispute, to ensuring fair pay, transparency and equality for all its employees and to delivering value for money for all rate payers in the council area, especially at a time when many are experiencing significant financial hardship," a spokesperson said.

"The council will continue to work with the LRA (Labour Relations Agency) and to engage in dialogue with the trade unions to find a workable solution as quickly as possible."

The dispute goes back to the merging of the two former councils in 2015

NMDDC is one of Northern Ireland's largest council areas with about 180,000 residents.

It includes Newry, Downpatrick, Crossmaglen, Newcastle, Warrenpoint, Saintfield and Ballynahinch.