Health workers who provide key services including the care packages that allow people to be discharged from hospital are to ballot for strike action.
Union NIPSA announced on Monday their members are to vote on action up to and including strike as the row over public sector pay and workload escalates.
NIPSA Official Terry Thomas told Belfast Live their members, including those in domiciliary care and social work, are facing mounting pressure as people leave the profession and are not replaced leaving some teams “up to 50% under-strength”.
Read more: No "quick fix" for recurring Northern Ireland hospital pressures, Minister says
He added: “It’s our members who provide the care packages that allow people to leave hospital, who work with disabled people, with older people, people with mental health issues. These are the people who work with vulnerable children. But people are retiring early, they are leaving the profession because it’s just too much. The pressure is relentless. There are teams that are running at 50% because people have left.
“The retention of staff is a major issue and the knock-on affect is there for everyone to see. We hear from the doctors asking that people are discharged in a timely manner to free up beds, we see the ambulances queued up at the front door, but this is happening because the packages are not there to allow people to be discharged into the community because there just aren’t the resources.
“Case-loads are going up, mental health issues in children are going up and people are just walking away because they can’t take the pressure anymore. This is why we need to a proper pay rise and not the below inflation offer we have got.”
In a statement, NIPSA said it announcing plans to ballot health service workers “in an industrial action ballot over Pay, unsafe staffing levels and Travel Reimbursement”. The ballot is “seeking majority support for strike actions and action short of strike action”.
The union added: “The continued failure of the Pay Review Body to deliver realistic pay rise’s for members in health and redress the year on year pay cuts continues to leave members feeling undervalued and unsupported. Aligned to this the unprecedented recruitment and retention issues continue to give rise to ongoing safe staffing concerns for Members and the public.
“The impact of rising inflation and the current cost of living crisis including excessive fuel costs impacts greatly on Members with many choosing to leave a service clearly in Crisis.”
Terry Thomas added: “The crisis is the product of a political choice to continue with Pay Cuts combined with massive mismanagement over many years. The Pandemic Reinforced this essential service exists due to the compassion, professionalism and dedication of public servants but they cannot continue to work in an unsafe environment and be underpaid.
“We demand more for our members and our communities. NIPSA will use the Ballot to hold to account those that have caused the crisis and redress the years of historical Pay Cuts.”
Speaking previously, Health Minister Robin Swann said: “What we are looking at is industrial action across the UK. The solution to the industrial action that has been proposed has to be a UK-wide approach.
“I have always been very clear in my support for our health workers in regards to what I have been able to do within the budgetary availability that I have had.”
A Department of Health spokesman said the Minister “has also made it clear that he is very mindful of the cost of living pressures on health and social care staff and across the wider community”.
They added: “The Minister has also said that he will continue to do the best he can amid ongoing budget uncertainty but is unable to implement any pay awards locally as Northern Ireland still does not have an agreed Executive Budget for 2022/23.”
READ NEXT:
Altnagelvin Hospital Emergency Department in "dire straits" with over 45 patients waiting for bed
- NI nurses working 12 hours a day full-time struggling to put food on table for their families
- Housing Executive workers say thousands of jobs left undone as strike enters ninth week
Northern Ireland ED consultant warns staff are "on our knees"
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
