Public Workers Stage Day Of Action

NIPSA and UNISON trade union members have staged a day of action to protest against a lack of rise in pay over the past four years.

Public sector workers protested at Belfast City Hall and at the Guildhall in L'Derry as part of a UK-wide demonstration calling for increased wages.

The unions have described current wages as "poverty pay".

They said said that for three years their members, who work in education, housing, local government and further education, received no pay increase, until a 1% rise last year.

Later this month, employers are set to decide on a request from the unions for a £1 per hour increase for the workforce.

UNISON also said council budgets have been cut by 40% by the Coalition government.

Heather Wakefield, UNISON's Head of Local Government, said: "Politicians from all parties have been talking about the need to end low pay and introduce the Living Wage. This must apply to local government workers, more than half a million of whom currently earn less than the Living Wage.

"It is deeply disturbing to hear the continuing stories of local government workers resorting to food banks. These workers have suffered an 18% drop in earnings since the Government's austerity measures were introduced, which is why we want the same flat rate increase to be applied to everyone.

"More than 75% of the workforce are women, whose contribution has been consistently undervalued. This pay increase should be part of a new gender agenda to give our members the recognition they deserve in their pay packets."

NIPSA Assistant Secretary Paddy Mackel said: "Many of our members are low paid workers who have struggled in this economic recession to provide for their families. It is totally unacceptable that the Department of Education continues to procrastinate around internal procedures whilst our members are forced to wait month after month since April 2013 for a pay increase which they are contractually entitled to.

"Our members who provide an important service to children and young people in schools and Education Board Headquarters deserve to be treated with more respect. They have shown remarkable patience over the last 10 months, whilst one commitment after another was shown to be meaningless.

"They are angry at what they understandably perceive as a Department that fails to appreciate what it means to be a part time or a low paid worker who rely on their wages each month to support their families. They only want what they are contractually entitled to."

UNISON said over half a million local government workers earn less than the current Living Wage and a million earn less than the Coalition's 'low pay' threshold of £21,000 a year.

(IT/JP)