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Council staff begin strike action Council staff begin strike action
(about 1 hour later)
Council employees and staff at other government bodies across Northern Ireland have begun a two-day strike action. Council employees and staff at other government bodies in Northern Ireland have begun a two-day strike action.
It is being taken across the UK in protest at a pay offer of 2.5%.It is being taken across the UK in protest at a pay offer of 2.5%.
As well as council services, the Housing Executive and education and library boards will also be affected. Services hit include bin collections - the only areas where they will not be affected are Ballymoney, Banbridge, Dungannon, Magherafelt and Moyle.
The Unite union has called on assembly members and councillors to join the picket lines and support striking workers. Leisure and community centres will be closed and many children's summer schemes have been postponed. Belfast Zoo is closed to the public.
Derry City Airport will also be affected by the strike action. The scale of the strike will only become apparent during the day, but there is the potential for libraries, council offices and home care services to be affected as well.
It is owned by the city council and a spokesperson said it was disappointed that there was no agreement to exempt the airport from the industrial action. There will be no flights in or out of the City of Derry airport. Derry City Council owns the airport and its staff are on the two-day strike.
Trevor Salmon, director of corporate services with Belfast City Council, said it was hard to predict what support the strike would have. Thousands of members of the Unite union say a pay increase of 2.45% is not enough.
However, the local government association says the offer is final.
Unions argue that with the cost of living becoming more and more expensive, their members need an increase of 6%.
But the employers say frontline services could be cut if salaries were to increase. They also point out the unions are split on the issue - the GMB union has accepted the pay deal.
Is your council hit by the strike?Is your council hit by the strike?
Trevor Salmon, director of corporate services with Belfast City Council, said it was hard to predict what support the strike would have.
"What we do know is certain essential services such as burials, cremations and weddings which have been long in the planning will go ahead as planned," he said."What we do know is certain essential services such as burials, cremations and weddings which have been long in the planning will go ahead as planned," he said.
"There will be disruption of our leisure centre and our community centres - we think 50% of those will be disrupted or closed."There will be disruption of our leisure centre and our community centres - we think 50% of those will be disrupted or closed.
"The biggest disruption of course is going to be the bin collections - we calculate that some 54,000 households will be affected.""The biggest disruption of course is going to be the bin collections - we calculate that some 54,000 households will be affected."
No deal Jimmy Kelly, Unite Irish regional secretary, said: "Unite calls on the Stormont government to fund local government properly."
DUP councillor Jimmy Spratt, who took part in the pay negotiations with the unions, said the offer of 2.54% was "a full and final offer".
"On the ballot that has taken place, the second largest union on the National Joint Council, the GMB union, actually accepted the pay deal," Mr Spratt said.
However, Unite workers wages increased by 6%.
Jimmy Kelly, Irish regional secretary, said: "Unite calls on the Stormont government to fund local government properly."
The union wants workers to be paid what it describes as "a decent living wage".The union wants workers to be paid what it describes as "a decent living wage".
"We call on councillors and MLAs who support our members' demands to join us on the picket lines. They will be made very welcome," said Mr Kelly. "We call on councillors and MLAs who support our members' demands to join us on on the picket lines. They will be made very welcome."