MIDWIVES across the North West are staging a four-hour strike action today in a dispute over pay.
They are calling for a 1% pay increase, as was given to their colleagues in Wales, Scotland and England.
The industrial action is being held between 8 am and 12 noon.
Sinn Fein MLA and chair of the Assembly’s Health Committee has striking midwives in Derry on the picket line this morning in solidarity of their cause.
It is the first time members of the Royal College of Midwives have staged a strike in their 134-year history.
The Department of Health said officials were working to ensure a safe service was provided during the stoppage.
It said midwives in Northern Ireland had the same settlement as colleagues in England.
“While we would like to be in a position to have done more in 2014/15, it is important to recognise midwives and other non-medical staff received a minimum of 1% extra with the average rise through incremental progression being 3.7% and some staff receiving 6.7% more,” a spokesperson said.
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