PUBLIC SECTOR STRIKES DEEPEN NORTHERN IRELAND'S POLITICAL CRISIS

Northern Ireland braces for widespread disruption as tens of thousands of public sector workers, including teachers, civil servants, nurses, and transport workers, prepare to strike over pay.

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The prolonged political crisis, leaving the region without a devolved government for nearly two years, remains unresolved.

Organisers expect around 15 trade unions to participate in rallies, with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions estimating that 170,000 out of 220,000 public sector union workers will halt work, demanding the release of delayed funding for pay increases.

The mass strike, a "coordinated day of action" billed by unions as the biggest since Northern Ireland was founded in 1921, is likely to cause havoc to already crumbling public services.

Schools will close and transport services will halt as several hundred service workers who salt roads during winter are expected to join the strike, which coincides with a cold weather snap.