WE DEMAND ACTION ON HEALTH NOW!
Today (16th December) the Secretary of State is holding talks with political parties aimed at restoring the devolved institutions at Stormont. Commenting on these talks and the industrial action being undertaken by health and social services workers due to the lack of pay parity and unsafe staffing levels, UNISON Regional Secretary Patricia McKeown said:
“On Friday 13th December we wrote to the leaders of the five main parties calling on them to make a clear collective statement that they support the restoration of pay parity and that this dispute should be resolved immediately, regardless of whether an Executive is to be formed or not.
We await action from them. In the meantime, UNISON leaders from across the health service are at Stormont demanding direct action and presenting messages of support from the public.
Our dispute continues and we are set to take industrial action alongside other unions on Wednesday 18th December. We have rejected the Department of Health’s proposals up to now as they do not restore pay parity. The Department of Health has tabled no new proposals to us.
We will not allow our members, patients or the public to be used as any form of political leverage in an attempt to restore the devolved institutions at Stormont.”