Northern Ireland

Courts sitting and benefit payments to go ahead despite civil service strike

An earlier NIPSA protest in Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell
An earlier NIPSA protest in Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell An earlier NIPSA protest in Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell

A planned civil service-wide strike today will not affect court sittings or benefit payments, government departments have said.

Nipsa, the largest public sector union in Northern Ireland, has called a strike of thousands of members in a long-running dispute over pay, terms and conditions.

General secretary Alison Millar said they were "further angered when there was no mention in the `New Decade, New Deal' document of seeking to settle the civil service dispute yet specific reference was made to the health workers and teachers’ disputes", with news of pay increases for MLAs this week also inflaming emotions.

The union met finance minister Conor Murphy on Wednesday and said he "acknowledged the work carried out by thousands of civil servants... and indicated a desire to seek to resolve the long-running dispute".

The one-day strike will affect Jobs and Benefits Offices, Universal Credit Processing Centres, Rating Offices, veterinary officers, meat inspectors, DAERA Direct Offices, courts, the Public Prosecution Service and tribunals among other areas.

The Department of Justice said "courts currently scheduled for 24 January will sit as planned" and the Department for Communities said "all benefit payments will be issued as normal and all digital benefit services are available as usual".