Joe Higgins Debates Jim Power

One year of Peter Robinson's broken promises..

Industrial action needed now!
15th May 2009

One year ago today Peter Robinson publicly admitted that the NICS had been guilty of sex discrimination for decades. He blamed direct rule ministers and stated that the NI Executive would immediately address the matter.

A year later the same discrimination continues and workers are no closer to receiving the pay to which they are entitled nor the compensation they deserve.

In fact, one senior civil servant in DFP has stated that he is confident the matter would be resolved before the end of the current Assembly term in 2011!!! In the meantime, do they expect thousands of low paid workers who continue to find themselves earning thousands of pounds less than they should to just sit and wait? There is no doubt that patience has run out and the anger amongst low paid workers is growing.

NIPSA has lodged the equal cases at tribunal but has been attempting to resolve the issue by negotiation. It has been clear for months, however, that senior civil servants who have presided over discrimination for years are in no hurry to resolve the matter and, from the evidence given to the DFP Assembly committee, are guilty of being economical with the truth.

It is time for NIPSA to say enough is enough. Although the legal cases must continue, in addition and urgently, the union must begin to build for industrial action to bring the issue to a head. Failure to act now will cause workers to see their union as letting management and the politicians off the hook. The Assembly parties must be forced to honour their legal and moral obligation to pay this money immediately and senior civil servants, who have so far only thrown up confusion on the matter, must be ordered to do their jobs.

Pictures of todays (15th May 2009) protest outside Belfast City Hall - Well done to low paid civil service workers standing up for thier rights!