Every day the consequences of the Stormont House Agreement and Assembly Budget is revealed with devastating cuts across all our public and community services.  The proposed Assembly cuts of millions of pounds are now being felt in detail in every community across Northern Ireland.

We have seen thousands of public sector workers express their confidence in the trade union movement when they came out on strike on the 13th March 2015.  Public support for strike action was overwhelming with a poll by the Belfast Telegraph running at over 80% in favour on the day of the strike.

Unfortunately at the last ICTU meeting to determine the next course of action, it appears a decision was taken not to call another strike day before the General election until possibly the Autumn.  This would be a mistake.

We cannot allow the fragile confidence that has been built amongst workers in the run up to March 13 to be dissipated.  This could have a demoralising impact on workers and local communities that would negatively impact the trade union movement for years.

In the year of a General Election, there can be no better time to increase the maximum pressure on ALL the political parties in the Assembly Executive to force them to reverse their cuts and austerity agenda.  We have seen how this has worked before when the trade union movement and local communities turned the proposed introduction of water charges into an election issue.  This forced the Assembly Executive to scrap water charges legislation.

LET US MAKE ASSEMBLY CUTS AN ELECTION ISSUE!    

I am asking you now to sign this petition to tell NIC-ICTU that it is not too late to reverse their decision not to call another strike day before the General Election.