Explainer
NI strike action: When school, council and Housing Executive workers will take to picket lines
Public sector workers in housing, local councils, education and transport will all be taking strike action over the coming weeks in Northern Ireland.
UTV News explains where and when these strikes will occur, and what people can expect to happen to public services during the industrial action.
Who exactly is taking strike action?Workers affiliated with the GMB and Unite Trade Unions have voted to take industrial action due to pay disputes with their employers.
The public bodies taking action are:
Bus Drivers for Translink with GMB and Unite
Education Authority workers with Unite
Staff with Unite at the North West Regional College, Belfast Metropolitan College, South Eastern Regional College and St Columb’s and Lumen Christi College
Council Workers with Unite the Union in Belfast, Antrim and Newtownabbey, Banbridge and Craigavon, Causeway Coast and Glens, Derry City and Strabane, Fermanagh and Omagh, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Mid and East Antrim, Mid-Ulster, Newry, Mourne and Down, and the Ards and North Down councils.
Each dispute varies in specifics, but in all of them, workers claim that current pay offers from management amount to a pay decrease when inflation is taken into account.
Given the ongoing cost of living crisis, many workers feel they need pay raises to help them cope with higher prices and bills.
When will the strikes be occurring? Each dispute differs in exact timings, with the earliest date being 15 April and the last ending in mid May. Here's each strike date broken down by which workers will be taking action;
Bus Drivers will be striking from Monday 25 April to Sunday 1 May, and a single additional day on Friday May 6.
Education Authority workers will be striking from Tuesday 26 April to Sunday 1 May, and again from Tuesday 3 May to Sunday 8 May.
Workers at Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, Belfast City Council, Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council, Derry City & Strabane District Council, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, Mid-Ulster District Council will be striking from Monday 25 April to Sunday 1 May, and again from Tuesday 3 May to Sunday 8 May.
Staff at Newry, Mourne and Down District council will be striking for one day on Friday 6 May.
Staff at Ards and North Down Borough Council will be striking from Tuesday 3 May to Sunday 15 May
Workers at North West Regional College, Belfast Metropolitan College, South Eastern Regional College will be striking from Monday 25 April to Sunday 1 May, and again from Tuesday 3 May to Sunday 8 May.
St Columb’s and Lumen Christi College staff will be striking from Tuesday 26 April to Sunday 1 May, and again from Tuesday 3 May to Sunday 8 May.
What will be affected?
Quite a lot - the workers striking represent a pretty broad section of NI public sector work.
The Translink workers may have the most immediate impact. Their strikes could totally shut down all Metro and Ulsterbus services across the provinces.
These strikes will have a large knock-on effect on schools, as most school bus services will therefore be cancelled too.
The strikes by Education authority workers and some staff at various colleges and institutions will have
The strikes by council workers vary by council area. Some places will see disruption to leisure services, other council areas will see core council functions like bin collection completely shut down.
Each council will announce what disruption they expect closer to the date of the strike. The strikes by housing Executive workers could have a large impact on how the NIHE is able to function during the strike dates.