PBP Derry councillor Shaun Harkin at Housing Executive workers picket line last November
The strike started last September and involved around 300 staff.
Said Cllr Harkin: “People Before Profit commend the resilience and determination of Housing Executive maintenance workers to improve their pay and conditions.
“Workers were right to strike. They are heroes.
“The demands made by frontline workers and backed by their trade union UNITE were modest.
“The strike could have been avoided if management had been more sympathetic to the severe challenges its workers on low pay face in a cost of living crisis.
“It’s fair to say none of the main parties put anyway near enough pressure on DfC officials or Housing Executive management to assist the strike – and this is part of an unfortunate pattern.
“Despite this, and no matter what came at workers, they stayed united and strong.
“They didn’t achieve all that they deserve but won more than Housing Executive officials were initially willing to offer.
“People Before Profit were extremely proud to stand with our HE workers on the picket lines and to support their fair pay campaign.
“We are champions of the Housing Executive. We want to see it funded so it can thrive, build the houses we desperately need and have the capacity to properly renovate existing housing stock.
“This can’t be done without properly valuing our HE workers. Gains made by workers now must be a starting point for vastly improving pay and conditions going forward.
“The era of quietly accepting poverty pay is over.”
