A number of workers at ports and vet services in Northern Ireland have announced their intention to go on a five-day strike.
Nipsa and GMB members across Veterinary Service Animal Health Group (VSAHG) will commence strike action on Monday October 30 until Friday November 3.
Members working in ports will kick off the action by walking out at midnight and will then be joined by hundreds of members from the VSAHG.
The action is in protest over a pay award of £552 to all civil servants in Northern Ireland for 2022/23, when inflation was above 10%.
Normal services will stop at Northern Ireland ports at midnight on October 29, with the union saying both green and red lanes will be impacted.
Nipsa general secretary Carmel Gates said public sector workers have become “hostages in a conflict” between the Secretary of State and the Northern Ireland political parties.
“Their pay has become a pawn in a game,” she said.
“This situation must come to an end. Political decision-makers must act responsibly and engage with trade unions.
“At this point, all power lies in the hands of the Secretary of State. He has it within his gift to immediately resolve this issue.
“All that is required is the political will to end the sanctions regime.”
Logistics UK, formerly the Freight Transport Association, is one of the largest trade associations in the UK, employing more than seven million people in the making, selling and moving of goods.
Nichola Mallon, Logistics UK’s head of trade and devolved policy, said supply chains are complex and “cannot be turned on and off like a tap”.
“Given the volume of food moving from GB to NI via the red lane, next week’s planned industrial action by NI vets and meat inspectors could be highly disruptive to businesses and consumers,” she said.
“It is essential that negotiations continue and every effort is made locally and by the UK Government to put in place contingency arrangements that minimise the impact on NI businesses and consumers.”
Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said they had real concerns the strike would cause “significant disruption” to its members.
“With the new Windsor Accord arrangements still bedding in and Christmas only around the corner, the timing of this strike for the local retail sector could not have come at a worse time,” he said.
“We cannot afford to have strikes like this disputing our local economy any further and hope that an agreed way forward on pay can be found.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said the department fully respects the rights of colleagues to take industrial action and regrets sincerely that it has not been possible to provide a “meaningful pay award” for NI civil service staff.
They said: “If strike action proceeds as has been indicated, there will be significant disruption to the delivery of many of the department’s veterinary and animal health functions, including delivery of official controls and other official activities across sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) inspection facilities, meat plants and field operations.
“If there is no resolution to the current pay dispute, the industrial action is likely to present issues in relation to animal health and welfare, public health and continuity of agri-food supply chains.
“The department very much hopes that a resolution to the current position on NI civil service pay can be found as soon as possible.”
DAERA officials also said they cannot guarantee they will be able to provide their statutory services from October 30 to November 3 and would stress to operators of businesses that rely on these services to put in place continuity/emergency plans.
