Council strike: Planned action will see council 'closed down'

Union officials say action will impact all functions of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

More than 1,000 staff at one of Northern Ireland's largest councils are planning to go on strike next Wednesday, August 10.

Officials from the NIPSA, Unite and GMB trade unions said this would affect all functions of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.

This would include services such as refuse, planning and leisure.

The unions said the dispute was over harmonisation of staff terms and conditions and cost of living crisis.

Further strike action and action short of strike could then continue over the following four weeks.

Alan Perry of the GMB union said the council would effectively be "closed down".

"This council employs around 1,400 people and trade union membership is very high - around 80% and the majority of our members will be out on the day of action, starting on the 10th August," he said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for ABC Council said that management had been engaging with the three trade unions in a bid to progress outstanding matters and that a pay offer had been rejected.

"Mindful of the significant financial impact of the national pay award on the council, yet still wishing to address the immediate cost of living pressures being faced by staff, the council offered two £600 payments, the first to be made in September 2022, with the second payment to be made in December 2022 - January 2023," the statement read.

"This £1,200 offer was to all full and part time employees in council (pro rata), a one-off payment from council reserves of over £2m, designed to meet current financial challenges for staff whilst minimising additional burden on the rate payer.

"When taken together with the national pay award this would have meant over £3,000 in additional payments to each member of staff this year."

However, Kevin Kelly of NIPSA said the offer was misleading.

"This is the last council standing that hasn't harmonised terms and conditions [since the introduction of the 11 'super councils' in 2015].

"We have members here doing the exact same job, for example a refuse loader in one area of the council is getting paid a couple of thousand pounds less than their counterpart in another council," he added.

"This council are trying to muddy the waters by saying we are asking for a pay offer. What we are asking for is harmonisation and help to alleviate the cost of living crisis."

The council said discussions would reconvene early next week.

In a statement the joint unions said that it is "not too late for management to avert this avoidable strike action."