Civil service pay dispute
step up the action!
ON 11 December NIPSA members across the Northern Ireland Civil Service supported the one day strike in their thousands. Belfast, Derry, Portadown, Ballymena, Strabane, Omagh and Enniskillen all witnessed picket lines and saw the whole service effectively closed down.
While management as usual tried to play down the numbers involved to 12,000 or 47% the reality was up to 90% and over 20,000 members struck on the day.
By Paul Dale, NIPSA Civil Service Executive Member (personal capacity)
Workplaces which didn't have reps before the strike had picket lines manned. In others non members joined and went straight on the picket line, elsewhere buildings were locked all day and still pickets stood outside. The local press in Fermanagh said they had never seen any government building 100% solid in a strike before. Town after town witnessed the same scenes.
The march from Castlecourt round to the strike rally at Transport House in Belfast was 300 strong and accompanied by 10 firefighters in an act of solidarity that was appreciated. Organised by Time for Change activists including Socialist Party members, this set the tone for the rally.