Thousands of civil servants walkout yesterday

antrim | miscellaneous | news report Friday February 06, 2004 15:02 by NIPSA - Branch 8 member

Thousands more take action today

500 members of Branch 8 downed tools yesterday and took to the streets of Belfast to join their colleagues and comrades

At 11.30 am yesterday branch 8 members walked out and went onto the streets of Belfast. 500 strong they marched up Great Victoria street's roads in central Belfast and passed Belfast city hall in what the media called 'wildcat strikes, and the civil service management called 'illegal'.

Like the first 'unofficial wildcat actions' a few weeks prior that lead the Northern Ireland minister to state that 'Branch 8 actions are deplorable' because they had brought many hundreds on walkouts onto the streets from Belfast to Derry against low pay. Management threats this time seen similar actions by workers who showed that we are up for the fight.

As we marched through the streets on our 'illegal wildcat strikes' workers from other offices opened their widows from on high and started leaning out waving, cheering, clapping and chanting with us as we made our way on the main roads and avenues and through side streets from one side of central Belfast to the other. This as so we could meet up with other workers who had also walked out in solidarity and against the threats by civil service management.

Ryan Chair of Branch 8 interviewed in yesterdays Belfast Telegraph stated that 'workers were angry at what they viewed as threats and intimidation by management and today’s walkout is about expressing our anger'

Management in the same piece stated that 'this industrial action has begun to impact significantly on services'.

Today’s official action is taking place and as I walked around civil service departments in Belfast city centre many are simply shut or with their shutters down with pickets outside. Management have underestimated the strength of workers feelings on the issue and the bully boy tactics and threats by management, workers have and are showing will not work.
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