Home / Health / Nipsa Ballots Health Staff for Industrial Action
Nipsa Ballots Health Staff for Industrial Action
9 Oct
Summary
- Union to ballot healthcare members over pay and conditions.
- Workers demand immediate pay award, reform parity, and Living Wage.
- Potential strike action looms amid ongoing pay disputes.
The public services union, Nipsa, announced it will ballot its healthcare members for industrial action concerning pay and conditions.
Following a meeting with Health Minister Robbie Butler, union leaders declared "the time for talking is over," as health workers feel they have "reached a tipping point." Nipsa is demanding the immediate implementation of the 2026-27 pay award, pay reform parity with other UK regions, and the extension of the Real Living Wage to the care sector.
The Department of Health stated that fulfilling these demands would incur an estimated cost of £280 million. Nipsa has been engaging with its members across the health service, who have clearly expressed their frustrations regarding increasing workloads, unsafe staffing, job security, and service cuts.
Nipsa is initiating legal steps for a ballot, scheduled to run from October 21st to next month. Union representatives highlighted that low-paid staff are still awaiting the Real Living Wage and the 2026-27 pay award, with significant frustration over pay reform parity. The Executive also plans for health and social care organizations to implement cuts exceeding 12% over the next three years.
Last year's pay offer also faced delays, with the Department of Health eventually making an offer in November to avert threatened industrial action, which involved £200 million. Health pay is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, and the Department of Health is currently facing a deficit of between £800 million and £1 billion. Financial plans are being based on a multi-year budget paper from April, as the NI Executive has not yet agreed on a budget.
