Thousands of public sector workers have staged rallies during what was billed as Northern Ireland's largest strike in 50 years.
Around 150,000 workers from 16 different unions - including teachers, nurses and train drivers - are protesting over pay and conditions.
Rallies have taken place across the region including in Belfast, Derry, and Omagh. Report by Chahalb. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Around 150,000 workers from 16 different unions - including teachers, nurses and train drivers - are protesting over pay and conditions.
Rallies have taken place across the region including in Belfast, Derry, and Omagh. Report by Chahalb. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Thousands of public sector workers have staged rallies during what was billed as Northern
00:04 Ireland's largest strike in 50 years.
00:07 Around 150,000 workers from 16 different unions, including teachers, nurses, bus and train
00:13 drivers are protesting over pay and conditions.
00:17 Rallies have taken place across the region, including in Belfast, Derry and Omar.
00:22 Unions say the wage increases received by their counterparts elsewhere in the UK in
00:26 recent years have not been matched in Northern Ireland and the statistics seem to bear that
00:32 out.
00:33 But Northern Ireland's dysfunctional political landscape is copping most of the blame.
00:36 So far there have been seven failed attempts to restore the Assembly and Executive at Stormont
00:41 as the Democratic Unionist Party refuses to participate over its post-Brexit trading concerns.
00:47 In the absence of the devolved government, departments say they can't make new pay offers.
00:52 Today's strikes will cause widespread disruption, especially for Northern Ireland's health service,
00:58 which is already struggling with budget problems, severe staff shortages and the worst waiting
01:02 lists in the UK.
01:04 Most schools have closed, TransLink buses and train services have also been cancelled
01:09 and non-major roads have not been gritted despite the icy weather.
01:13 Sinn Féin Vice President Michelle O'Neill said she stood with workers.
01:16 "I regret that they've been forced to this juncture but they feel very frustrated, they
01:21 feel very angry as a matter of fact that they haven't received their pay and I have been
01:25 pledging to them today to not give up, that I have their back and that I am going to do
01:29 everything I can."
01:30 The UK government has offered a financial package which would include provisions on
01:34 pay but only if devolution is restored.
01:37 This has angered unions who argue that public sex workers are being used as pawns to pressurise
01:43 politicians to end the standoff.
01:45 Political parties in Northern Ireland, including the DUP, have also called on the money to