10 May 2012

NIPSA Members To Take Strike Action

NIPSA members in the NI Civil Service and a number of Non Departmental Public Bodies will be taking part in a 24 hour strike today in protest at the continuing attack on civil service pensions.

NIPSA is joining with its colleagues in the PCS trade union (that represents staff in the UK Civil Service) to send a message to the UK Coalition Government that civil servants are prepared to resist these attacks on pensions and other terms and conditions of employment.

NIPSA members in the Health and Social Care sector will also be engaging in a two hour strike between 12.00 noon and 2.00 pm on the 10th May. This strike is in response to the attack on health service pensions, job cuts and the resulting pressure on services and staff.

NIPSA General Secretary Brian Campfield stated: "This action by NIPSA members in both the Civil Service and the Health Service is designed to send a clear message to the Government that workers will continue to resist attacks on their pensions and on staffing levels. The Government attack on public service pensions is an integral part of its austerity agenda which has, at its core, the objective of making the ordinary citizen pay for a financial and economic crisis that is not of their making.

"The other elements of the austerity agenda involve attacks on social security provision, Working Families’ Tax Credits, the sick, the elderly and the disabled. Central to the government plans is a reduction in public services and the transformation of public services into profit centres for the private sector."

(CD/GK)