A NUMBER of Newry, Mourne and Down Council staff are preparing to go on strike next week with trade unions warning that industrial action could be stepped up in the New Year.
Next Thursday’s 24-hour stoppage over pay inequalities and terms and conditions across the organisation comes after trade unions and the local authority’s senior management team failed to find agreement on the way forward.
Unions have described the industrial action which will bring all council activities to a standstill as “regrettable”, with the council insisting that it is fully committed to resolving the dispute which it says is avoidable.
A series of meetings held over recent months failed to agree a way forward with senior council officials due to meet with union representatives today to provide them with an opportunity to discuss how they see their dispute being resolved to allow management to table further proposals.
The dispute between fourunions and senior council management has been running for several years, beginning when the former Down and Newry and Mourne councils were merged as part of sweeping local government changes which reduced the number of Northern Ireland councils from 26 down to 11.
At the heart of the dispute are union claims that the so-called harmonisation of workers’ terms and conditions in both legacy councils were never fully implemented and that inequalities remain.
Confirming that workers will take industrial action next Thursday, Unite, GMB, NIPSA and SIPTU have laid the blame for the strike at the council management’s door, accusing it of failing to address members’ legitimate concerns.
In a joint statement, the unions argue that the dispute could have been resolved if council chief executive Marie Ward had engaged with the unions. The claim has been denied by the local authority.
They also claim that the council chief “reneged on her responsibility” and refused to meet directly with their representatives or deal with the workers’ legitimate concerns.
“Newry, Mourne and Down Council is the only local authority in Northern Ireland which has not resolved the pay differences and the disparities in terms and conditions arising from amalgamation more than five years ago,” said the joint statement.
“In seeking to resolve this problem, rather than harmonise upwards as other councils have done, council bosses here have sought to push the cost on the backs of workers. “
The trade unions claim that current proposals would leave some waste collection workers facing a loss of up to £2,500 a year while what they describe as a “prejudicial job evaluation process” the council has sought to introduce opens the door to further attacks on staff pay and conditions for all council workers.
In addition, the unions have warned that although workers are keen to avoid unnecessary disruption to the lives of the community in the run up to Christmas, they will be forced to escalate the action in the New Year.
“Council workers are aware that the Covid-19 pandemic has made 2020 a really hard year for the entire community in Newry, Mourne and Down,” the statement continues. “It is with regret that we are being forced to take this action in order to improve our pay and protect our terms and conditions.”
The trade unions say that next Thursday’s strike will bring all council activities to a standstill, warning if members’ concerns are not resolved, they will be forced to escalate the action in January.
The statement adds: “It is in the council management’s hands to resolve this dispute. We call on them to do so urgently.”
A council spokesman said senior management and four trade unions have been working collectively over a long period of time towards achieving an agreed set of terms and conditions of employment for all employees within the organisation.
He claimed that information shared by unions with the media has been repeatedly incorrect, in particular, the assertion that Mrs Ward would not meet with them.
The spokesman said that as part of the process and ongoing engagement with the senior management team, which includes Mrs Ward, formal meetings with the unions were held on five separate occasions between March and this month to sign off on phase one terms and conditions which were implemented successfully.
“In addition, the senior management team, including the chief executive, offered to meet trade unions on October 23 following a special meeting of the Strategy Policy and Resources Committee. The unions declined the offer,” he continued, insisting that the organisation is “fully committed to resolving this dispute which it believes was always avoidable.”
The spokesman said that at a conciliation meeting facilitated by the Labour Relations Agency on September 8, council management agreed to set out a proposed programme of work to progress with the next phase of terms and conditions and that since then, has met with local trade union representatives to discuss proposals on pay-related terms and conditions, commencing with the waste management department.
The council said that as part of negotiations, it tabled a proposed resolution on October 15 which would have seen all refuse drivers and operatives being employed on the same job deions and pay grades, resulting in an increase in pay for refuse workers in Downpatrick to the level of their colleagues in Newry.
“The proposed job descriptions were rejected by the trade unions,” said the spokesman, insisting that the organisation agreed to negotiate on additional payments for implementation of new refuse operating procedures which would standardise working practices across the entire district as well as a separate payment to refuse drivers for refuse vehicle cleaning.
“The council’s proposals would have seen wage increases for workers in Downpatrick and the organisation is disappointed that this proposal was rejected by the unions.
“As a further step to resolve any dispute in an equitable and fair manner, the council has now engaged conciliation services of the Labour Relations Agency to help mediate the current situation and has arranged a further meeting with the unions for today where the trade unions can put forward how they see their dispute being resolved to allow management to table further proposals.”
The spokesman added: “The council remains fully committed to resolving this dispute; to ensuring fair pay, transparency and fairness for all its employees and to delivering value for money for all ratepayers in the Newry, Mourne and Down area, especially at a time when many are experiencing significant financial hardship.”