NI bus and trains cancelled due to strike

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-67576510

A 24-hour strike that got under way at midnight is expected to cause extensive disruption across the public transport network on Friday.

It is affecting Ulsterbus, Metro, Glider and Goldliner services, along with train services and includes school buses.

Unite, GMB and SIPTU union members voted in favour of the strike over what they have described as a “pay freeze”.

Translink has said it cannot make a pay offer at this time.

It said that was because in the budget allocation from Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris, Translink “did not receive a budget for a pay offer from the Department for Infrastructure”.

A separate 24-hour pay strike by school support workers, including other bus drivers not employed by Translink, is coinciding with the wider public transport strike on Friday.

‘Significant disruption’
The Education Authority (EA) said more than 57,000 children and young people are affected.

It added: “Where possible, we are taking steps to mitigate the impact of the action, however, given the industrial action by Translink on the same day, we are expecting significant disruption to school transport in particular.”

Unite deputy regional secretary David Thompson told BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme that “frustrations are starting to boil over”.

“This is a big decision. It’s over eight years since there’s been a strike in our public sector,” he said.

“Unfortunately, it has come to this crunch point. People need to get a living.

“It’s very difficult to have a strike that won’t have an impact on the public.”

Mr Thompson previously said: “We’re looking for a pay rise quite simply. We do believe this is a position of the secretary of state using blackmail tactics which are affecting the most vulnerable people across society because the bus strike will affect more rural areas and people that are more isolated.”

Mr Thompson added that if there was a Stormont Executive “we’d certainly be discussing it directly with the ministers responsible if that was the position but unfortunately it isn’t”.

The DUP has boycotted Northern Ireland’s power-sharing institutions in protest against post-Brexit trade barriers between the Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

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How are businesses affected?
John Trainor, owner of Stix and Stones restaurant in Belfast city centre, and Balmoral Hotel in the west of the city, said bookings had been cancelled for Friday night.

“We’ve had 29 customers who have cancelled this evening, out of 146,” he said.

“We expect another rush of cancellations as the days goes on.”

Mr Trainor said his staff would struggle to get to work on Friday – but added that he was sympathetic to the transport workers “who do a good service”.

Rosealeen Stewart, who runs Rosie’s Emporium in Lisburn said her business would be “hit hard” by the strike.

“Myself and other retailers bring in more staff for the run-up to Christmas and we are potentially going to have no customers to serve, or very few,” she said.

‘A last resort’
GMB regional organiser Peter Macklin described the strike action as “a last resort” but said “members have been offered no alternative”.

“The impact of this strike will be very significant and will affect all parts of Northern Ireland’s economy and society,” he said.

“The secretary of state must intervene now to improve funding for public transport services so that public transport workers can receive a cost-of-living pay increase.”

Niall McNally, from SIPTU said that if further disruption in the lead up to Christmas was to be avoided, the secretary of state must “reverse his approach”.

Eamonn Sturgeon, who has been a bus driver for 22 years, said workers were sorry for inconveniencing the public but have “no other choice” but to strike.

“We’re struggling and we need to stand up for ourselves to get a half-decent pay rise,” he said.

“We need Stormont up and running to solve these issues and until that happens there’s not going to be any change.”

Budget challenges
Translink Director of Service Operations Ian Campbell told Good Morning Ulster on Thursday that the transport provider had “regular engagement” with the trade unions but emphasised that “this year Translink has had no budget allocation for pay”.

He said: “We continue to engage right across government in order to seek a resolution of the current budget underfunding position which would enable us to engage in meaningful conversations with our trade unions over pay.

“We’ll only be satisfied when we see that the budget allocation changes and we’re able to resolve this current impasse.”

An NIO spokeswoman said that “the UK government has no authority to negotiate pay in Northern Ireland” and that was for the relevant Northern Ireland departments.

She added: “It remains the secretary of state’s priority to see the return of locally-elected, accountable and effective devolved government, which is the best way for Northern Ireland to be governed.”

She said the Chris Heaton-Harris had commissioned information and advice from the Northern Ireland Civil Service on “potential measures to raise more public revenue, or otherwise to improve the sustainability of public finances in Northern Ireland, for an incoming Executive to consider.”

Due to the industrial action, there will be no Nightmover services on Friday night into Saturday morning but they will be operational again on Saturday night into Sunday morning. There will also be some adjustments to late night cross-border bus services before midnight.

Passenger information can be found on the Translink website, on social media, in stations and on buses and trains.

by LoveLaughLarne