One of the consequences of failing to agree budget is that healthcare staff still have not received this year’s pay rise, unlike their counterparts in the rest of the UK.
On Wednesday, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) opened a ballot for industrial action, external, which may lead to nurses going out on strike over their delayed pay rise.
“It is despicable that, year after year, nursing staff in Northern Ireland are forced to fight for a pay award that colleagues elsewhere in the UK receive as a matter of course,” said Prof Rita Devlin, Executive Director of RCN Northern Ireland.
Health Minister Robbie Butler shares the union’s frustration, telling the BBC’s Nolan Show: “This is like a rinse and repeat which is unhealthy for everybody.”
He took over the job from Mike Nesbitt less than two months ago and has previously warned that the pay issue could jeopardise recent progress on health reforms.
“We have huge problems that we’re trying to fix and sort out and unfortunately industrial action will set us back further,” Butler said.
“I impressed this upon my executive colleagues in the very first meeting that I had with them that any good work that has been made and any of the transformation that we have embarked on could be undone if industrial action isn’t avoided.
“And the only way we can avoid industrial action is to make the pay award.”
Asked what was holding up the release of funding, Butler said the failure to agree a Stormont budget “seems to be the primary obstacle”.
“Unfortunately with the political instability at the moment it’s hard to see that happening,” he added.