NI strikes: Road maintenance workers walk out

Road maintenance workers have gone on strike across Northern Ireland for seven days in a dispute over pay.

The Department of Infrastructure has urged road users to be careful as essential services like gritting and oil spill clearance will be affected.

However, motorways, the A1 and the A4 will not be affected by the industrial action.

About 200 of the workers are members of the union Unite and will be joining colleagues from the GMB.

They are calling for productivity bonuses to be part of their pay, not dependent on a manager's decision.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "This productivity payment must be integrated into workers' pay and not subject to the whims of managers.

"Unite stands fully behind our members in Roads Service."

Gareth Scott, lead regional officer for roads service workers, told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme that Unite members felt they had been left with no alternative.

Mr Scott said the productivity bonus scheme in its current format was outdated and in need of reform.

"We have been arguing about this matter for about four years now and we have made no progress whatsoever," he said.

"There needs to be reform of the pay structures in the lower grades in order to deal with low pay and also to remove a productivity bonus that is stuck in a time warp."

The Department of Infrastructure said essential services which were routinely delivered would be reduced.

These will include gritting roads; response and clear up of oil spills or debris; repair of serious defects such as manhole and pothole collapses and gully clearing and cleansing.

"While contingency arrangements are being put in place, this will not replace the full maintenance service and we would therefore ask all road users to be mindful of this and exercise care when making their journeys," the statement said.

The department is working with the Department of Finance and the unions involved to try and resolve the issues around pay.

Last Tuesday, thousands of education and health workers took part in strike action in disputes over pay.