Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Hundreds of Northern Ireland Housing Executive workers have been out on a pay strike for more than seven months. These are essential workers who continued to serve the public during Covid. Workers have joined with tenants to share their concerns about the shocking intransigence and inaction by the Housing Executive and the Northern Ireland Department for Communities. Workers and tenants have been incredulous about how it seems that no one is in charge and no one is answerable to housing workers or tenants. All the while, the job list keeps growing – broken windows, mould and damp, disability adaptations and getting empty houses ready for families who badly need them. In the absence of decision makers in the Housing Executive or the Department, the workers have written to the Northern Ireland Secretary of State and plan to travel to his constituency, if necessary, to ensure that he gets the message that he must intervene.

Despite the duration of the strike, the workers are buoyed up by public support, and especially by the rejection by their sister union, the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance, NIPSA, of the same disrespectful pay offer. NIPSA is also balloting its members for action. Will the Taoiseach raise with the Secretary of State how, in the interests of justice, this dispute needs to be resolved to the satisfaction of the workforce?

See this speech in context