NI strikes: Unite ambulance walkout to coincide with teacher action

The Unite union, which represents healthcare staff in Northern Ireland, has moved a planned strike to coincide with industrial action by teachers.

Strike action by the union was scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday, as well as 23 and 24 February.

Kevin McAdam from Unite said members will now walk out on 21 February, the same day the majority of teachers will hold a half-day strike.

Further strike action will happen on 16 March.

Mr McAdam, Unite's Northern Ireland representative, said: "We felt it was really important to move the dates to the 21st (February) to coincide with teachers to demonstrate that there are two important things in life, one is health and the other is education."

He said that ambulance staff will be among those taking part in the strike.

'Take a stand'

"Our aim is to disrupt the administration of the service, not to disrupt the patients but obviously it will impact to some extent," he said.

"If we don't take a stand we wont have a health service.

"This is the only way we can get our message through to government regionally and nationally."

Under trade union law, emergency cover will still be provided and staff can leave the picket lines to attend.

Some staff at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (UU) will also strike on 21 February in a dispute over pay. It is part of 18 planned days of industrial action.

Workers at the Royal Victoria hospital went on strike in January

Unite represents 4,000 workers across the health and social care trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS).

In January, 20,000 healthcare staff in Northern Ireland, including ambulance staff and nurses, took part in a one-day strike as part of a dispute over pay.

Workers were told they would get a 2022-23 pay award of £1,400, but unions said this would not settle the dispute as it was lower than inflation.