'Avoid travel': Safety alert in NI as gritting impacted by Mass Strike on Thursday with Yellow Snow and Ice warning

The alert comes as forecasters predict temperatures are to plummet further overnight leading to ice, black ice and possibly snow on routes across the network. A Yellow warning remains in force right through to Friday.

The Mass Action will see tens of thousands of public sector workers from numerous sectors gathering at picket lines in protest over the refusal to award the pay lift given to other civil servants in Britain here.

The Department for Infrastructure said that with cold weather being forecast for this week, the day of action will mean major disruption, with gritting also expected to be impacted for a week beyond Thursday due to further industrial action by union members within its workforce.

"If the current weather warnings remain in place, we would advise people to avoid travel, if possible, on Thursday. Where people need to travel, drivers and other road users will need to take particular care on Thursday and Friday given the potential for icy conditions and ongoing disruption to gritting.

"Where possible, contingency plans are being put in place, but it is expected that there will be widespread disruption on Thursday, which will affect the following services: Winter service – gritting of the road network; Repair of serious infrastructure defects such as manhole collapse or potholes; Prioritisation of assistance to those incidents with most impact to life and property; Response and clear-up operation when there are incidents on the road such as oil spills or unexpected debris; Drainage infrastructure clearing and cleansing; MOT services and driving tests; Strangford Ferry services; Significantly reduce our capacity to respond to flood emergencies; Significant delays in responding to calls to the flood incident line.

"The work done by the Department's staff is a constant, vital but often unseen aspect of the day-to-day functioning of society and its value becomes very visible when it is not available, particularly on the road network. Without people to deliver these essential services, there is limited mitigation possible to preserve the normal protection to road users,” the Department said.

Officials said they will not know the precise number of staff available until the days of strike action which means it could be Thursday morning before the full impact will be known and understood.

The Department will, however, is certain that it will only be able to deliver a fraction of its normal gritting service.

"We would ask that, where possible, people think carefully about whether they need to travel – particularly if temperatures drop below freezing as currently forecast.

"We will be keeping our advice to the public under review as the week progresses and the weather forecast becomes more certain.”

Immediately following the day of action, members of the GMB and Unite unions will continue with a week of industrial action until 26 January 2024. Again, this will impact on gritting services, the department said.

Winter service, response to road and flood emergencies, clean-up repairs to infrastructure and delays in responding to calls to the flood line are therefore expected to be further disrupted through until January 25.

The Department added: “Given wider pressures on public finances, it has not been possible to make a pay offer to staff and the Department acknowledges the deep frustration of staff at this situation. We look forward to the resolution of this situation and apologise for any inconvenience to the public in the meantime.”