Northern Ireland Conservatives’ chairman, Irwin Armstrong, has spoken of his “enormous respect” for public sector workers who keep vital services running, but warned that hardline union leaders are drawing their members into “an irresponsible, selfish and futile strike which will hurt the economy and the vulnerable”.
“75% of ordinary union members do not back this action, but union bosses are ordering them out of work nonetheless. The strike will cause schools, hospitals and public transport to grind to a halt across Northern Ireland, resulting in chaos and inconvenience for hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom will be among the most vulnerable in our society”.
“There can be no justification whatsoever for this irresponsible course of action. Negotiations over pensions are ongoing and an improved offer has helped ensure that public sector pensions will remain far more generous than the vast majority of people in the private sector can ever hope for. Indeed anyone on a low to middle income will actually receive a more generous pension at the end of their working life”.
“Public sector pay in Northern Ireland remains on average 41% higher than private sector wages, while the gap in public sector pensions for the UK stands at a staggering £1trillion. That equates to a £40,000 bill for each and every household, or £1,000 out of everyone’s salary, every single year of their working life”.
“The unions need to get real. It’s outrageous that private sector workers should be expected to fund pensions which the vast majority of people can only dream about. Labour’s debt crisis has caused real pain for businesses and employees across the private sector, pain which will be exacerbated by this strike. The public sector cannot be immune from doing its bit”.
“I would ask union leaders to think again before proceeding with this irresponsible and selfish strike. And I urge public sector workers to turn up to work on Wednesday as usual and provide the vital services which are so vital to this country. Otherwise the victims will not be the executive or the government at Westminster. It will be the ordinary people of Northern Ireland whose taxes pay for public sector wages and pensions.”