Huge march and strike rally and dozens of pickets to go ahead in Derry

Thousands of public sector workers will converge on the city centre from muster points at Sainsbury’s and Altnagelvin for a huge demonstration at 11.45am, in one of the biggest strikes ever witnessed in the north.

Delma Boggs, secretary of the Derry branch of the NASUWT, said members will mount pickets at schools across the city.

Ms. Boggs, speaking ahead of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Northern Ireland Committee’s ‘Generalised Day of Action’ which is being coordinated by Derry Trades Unions Council locally, said: “We are fighting for a better deal for all public sector workers and to send a loud message to Chris Heaton-Harris and the Tory Government that they must stop using public sector workers as a political tool to get he DUP back into government.”

Unite transport branch secretary Damien Doherty said there will be pickets at the Pennyburn bus yard and Foyle Street bus depot from 7am in ‘strike action for better pay’.

Members also want to protect the over 60s bus pass and better investment in public transport, said Mr. Doherty.

Martina McDonald, University and College Union branch secretary, said lecturers reached the decision to join the one-day strike after ‘members' incredible show of commitment and pay sacrifice during the 13 days of action last semester’.

“The committee considered it vital the UCU does not put itself outside of those workers demanding Stormont return with money to settle pay disputes.

"Further Education (FE) lecturers have received less than 10 per cent in the past 10 years which has effectively been wiped out by the rise in inflation last year,” she said.

Rory Quigley, of SIPTU, said its members will stage a picket line at the Waterside railway station.

“We are taking strike action because our members have been subject to real term pay cuts for successive years now and we have been left with no choice due to the continued failure of any of the company, the Executive or the British Tory Government to take responsibility or take any substantial steps toward resolving the issue,” he said.

NIPSA Deputy General Secretary Maria Morgan said 35,000 of its members will be on strike.

“We will have various picket lines, including Altnagelvin, but we have asked our pickets to come together at Orchard House at 10am before joining the rally,” she said.

Brenda Stevenson, of Unite, said members will be present at picket lines at Altnagelvin, DfI Roads HQ Crescent Road and the Pennyburn busyard.

“Unite members are striking for adequate pay rises, pay parity across the regions and safe staffing across the of whole public sector employers,” she said.

John Havord, joint branch secretary of NIPSA in the Western Trust, said it had balloted members on pay, safe staffing and travel reimbursement but ‘none of these issues have been addressed, so members have made the courageous decision, to take further industrial action’.

One arm of the march will leave Altnagelvin at 10.30am, picking up workers at 10.50am at Dale’s Corner. The second will leave Sainsbury’s at 11am, picking up demonstrators at Waterloo Place at 11.15am. Both will converge in the Diamond before proceeding to Guildhall Square.

Political failure has led to historic Mass Strike and winter of discontent