SDLP Councillor calls for urgent reform of Trade Union laws in the wake of the Lisburn and Castlereagh strike action

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council have made a pay offer to the striking council staff. However, the law in the North demands a ballot to accept the offer must be done using postal votes. This means there won’t be an answer for another three weeks.

Castlereagh Councillor Simon Lee said: “Everyone wants this strike to come to a positive end. Unfortunately, as a result of our restrictive laws, we won’t hear whether the offer was accepted until October 28. This news will be deeply distressing for the people of Lisburn and Castlereagh who have already seen their waste collections disrupted in recent weeks.

“It's daft that in the 21st Century the people of Lisburn and Castlereagh are waiting nearly a month for the results of a postal ballot. A bill came before the Assembly in March that would have allowed for online and in person ballot voting. Unfortunately, other Assembly parties voted these provisions down.

“Had this bill been passed, this ballot could have been resolved in a matter of days. Instead our laws force workers to use this outdated process of mail in ballots which is needlessly dragging the process out for weeks.

“We need the Assembly back up and running so we can modernise these rules and intervene to find a solution for our council staff and the people of Lisburn and Castlereagh.”