The trade union NIPSA has vowed that workers at Queen's University Belfast's (QUB) in-house creche will continue industrial action "as long as necessary" to achieve a settlement to an ongoing dispute over terms and conditions. 

NIPSA members at the QUB Crèche intensified their industrial action by taking strike action every day this week. It comes after they were joined by political reps and people from across the trade union movement at a protest in College Gardens last Friday.  

Workers had previously held a number of half-day strikes in a bid to have their working hours restored. 

Speaking at Friday's rally, QUB creche worker Niamh O' Kane said: "Myself and the girls have always said from day one it has never been about the money, all we want is to return to the hours that we worked.

"We were classed as key workers in a pandemic and I can't understand why they can't see that we are essential workers. We weren't treated as essential workers, we weren't even treated like staff," she added.

"All we want is to go back to what we deserve and what we have worked for years to do."

NIPSA official Patrick Mulholland said the move to hold a week-long strike marked a "significant escalation" in the workers' action. 

He vowed that that industrial action would  continue "as long as necessary to achieve a just settlement".

"We would like to have been here today to tell you that this was the conclusion of this dispute, that we had fought a good fight, that management had listened to the voices of the workers and their staff, and we had reached a successful conclusion where both management and unions had achieved an agreement," he said.

"That is not the case, unfortunately. Unfortunately where we are now is that we are at the point where we have to step up this action."

He added: "We are going to get justice for these workers."