General public of Northern Ireland warned to 'avoid travel' on Thursday as strike action will disrupt gritting of roads at same time as all buses and trains cancelled

​The Department of Infrastructure said people should not travel “if possible”, and if they do they should “take particular care” both on Thursday and Friday “given the potential for icy conditions and ongoing disruption to gritting”.

A co-ordinated day of mass action is being staged by a long string of trade unions, aggrieved that their members’ paypackets have shrunk in real terms over the past 18 months or so as rampant inflation took its toll – and among those on strike will be transport workers, meaning no Translink buses or trains will run anywhere in the Province.

The striking workers are seeking a pay hike – but whilst Sir Jeffrey Donaldson called on the government to act now, the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris insisted tonight that the issue of pay was a “devolved matter”.

Sir Jeffrey also told the assembled press pack at Hillsborough Castle that talks with the government have resulted in “significant progress” on the DUP’s concerns about the Windsor Framework / Northern Ireland Protocol.

He said "those discussions continue,” and that “I think we're moving forward now towards the moment when hopefully decisions can be made as to how we move forward”.

• 'Significant progress': Sir Jeffrey Donaldson stresses that talks with government over Windsor Framework / Protocol are yielding 'real' results

Mr Heaton-Harris had a different message.

He said the government has done “everything we can” to address DUP concerns, and said it is now “time for decisions to be made”, adding: “It is time for the talking and debate to finish.”

• Time for talking is over says Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris... shortly after DUP leader says 'real progress' being made in talks

On the subject of travel problems, the Department of Infrastructure said: “Where possible, contingency plans are being put in place, but it is expected that there will be widespread disruption on Thursday, which will affect the following services:

• Winter service – gritting of the road network;

• Repair of serious infrastructure defects such as manhole collapse or potholes;

• Prioritisation of assistance to those incidents with most impact to life and property;

• Response and clear-up operation when there are incidents on the road such as oil spills or unexpected debris;

• Drainage infrastructure clearing and cleansing;

• MOT services and driving tests;

• Strangford Ferry services;

• Significantly reduce our capacity to respond to flood emergencies;

• Significant delays in responding to calls to the flood incident line.

It added: “The work done by the department's staff is a constant, vital but often unseen aspect of the day-to-day functioning of society and its value becomes very visible when it is not available, particularly on the road network.”

Meanwhile Patrick Mulholland, deputy secretary general of NIPSA, said he was “calling for a campaign of public disobedience and resistance against the dismantling of our public services” – prompting the Police Federation to ask strikers not to heed that call, saying “any action involving civil disobedience would inevitably result in additional strain on hard-pressed police officers”.