ROADWORTHY

Unpublished article for UniteLandworker magazine of Spring 2024 

Senior steward Tommy Hanlon is “proud” of the 350+ industrial road service Unite members he represents at the Northern Ireland (NI) Department for Infrastructure (Infrastructure) who have all combined with 150,00 other public sector workers by striking over pay.

With inflation running high, NI public sector employees have been badly hit.

Between April 2022 and April 2023, real pay (adjusted for inflation) in NI’s public sector dropped by 7.2%. This followed real pay falling by more than 4% between April 2021 and April 2022, which followed two decades of no growth in public sector real pay and during which the Conservative-led austerity programme imposed 1% public sector pay increases from 2010 to 2019.

All of this comes on top of historical differences in public sector pay between NI and the rest of the UK and which are long-running grievances for workers.

In July 2023 millions of public sector workers in England and Wales got pay rises of between 5 and 7 per cent.

Most NI public sector pay decisions are devolved to the power-sharing government at Stormont. Yet with no ministers in place for two years until 1 February 2024 and severe budgetary restrictions imposed by the UK government the situation on when awards for 2023-4 would be made was uncertain.

Little surprise therefore that an estimated 150,000 public sector workers in NI went on strike at different times last year. Then on January 16 20024 there were was joint strike action, the largest in more than half a century, by workers from 16 trade unions.

Tommy Hanlon of Ballywalter, County Down had only once been on strike in his 37 years working for Infrastructure. “It was only one day. This recent action has totalled 21 days. We joined up with, amongst others, workers in fisheries, ports and rivers. At main road sites we made the public aware of our actions by mounting picket lines, which were totally respected. Councillors attended and showed support. I am proud of all our members and I think if we do end up taking more action they will again respond magnificently”.

Action has been taken after a pay award of just £552 (or £571) was imposed last year. “This was with inflation at 10.8 per cent and came after a decade long below inflation increases.

“We want a 10.8% increase plus 5 per cent. We have been offered 10 per cent plus a one off, non-consolidated, payment of £1,500. Mainland UK workers got more than this”.

Industrial Roadworkers, who grit roads and reconstruct broken kerbs and pot holes and maintain grass verges, are amongst the lowest paid civil servants earning £10.80 an hour. Their strike action has left many roads in a poor condition. Private companies brought into repair the damage made great profits.

With the power-sharing administration having recently been restored at Stormont the Tories have made available £668m for NI public sector pay in 2023-24. The figure falls short of the figures departments have calculated is needed across the public sector.

“We are not recommending acceptance in our forthcoming ballot of the proposals. That is despite it being our biggest pay offer for the last 20 years. We want inflation going back to 2022 plus 5 per cent– around 15.8”.