HEALTH unions have held protests on Thursday morning in response to proposed cuts to health and social care trusts in the North.
It comes after a meeting was held on Wednesday between senior health officials and trade unions over plans to make savings.
At the Royal Victoria Hospital, trade unions NIPSA, UNITE and UNISON held a joint-protest in the hospital grounds on behalf of Belfast Trust staff.
Thursday's protest at the Royal Victoria Hospital
Damien Dempsey from NIPSA said: "Trade Unions attended a meeting with the Belfast Trust yesterday. There are going to be massive cuts across the health service. It is spun as cost saving but the reality is that it is money that is urgently required for vital services.
"There are issues around agency work which is there because of failed staff recruitment as well as overtime. We need greater detail of the implications of these proposed cuts.
"These cuts will have an impact on people. You can't take millions of pounds out of the health service and expect it to deliver the same results as before.
Jimmy McGrath from UNITE added: "Yesterday, we were informed by senior officials of a four per cent cut in services. It seems to be targeted towards our low-paid staff such as catering, porters and cleaners.
"We should be talking about investment in the services and not cuts. We are time after time on the picket line. We don't want to be. We want to be inside doing our jobs.
"These cuts will have a major impact on patient care. Our wards need to be kept clean to stop the spread of infection.
"Someone needs to get a grip of health. We are always playing catch-up here compared to our colleagues in England and Wales. We still haven't got our pay rise and morale is rock bottom."
West Belfast MLA Gerry Carroll who was at the protest said: "I stand in solidarity with the trade unions today.
"These members are already suffering a pay restraint for the last number of years and now services are set to be reduced.
"We have to challenge the narrative that we have to make cuts in the health service. Every year the health service pumps tens of millions of pounds into private healthcare and the question is where is the money going.
"I hope the new Health Minister will listen to the demands of the unions and its members."
