There has been severe disruption to services at day care centres in north and west Belfast due to a strike by health workers.

The one-day stoppage by the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) was held in protest over a sectarian threat to a member of the North and West Belfast Social Services staff.

A bullet was sent to them in the post at work.

It is believed it was sent by loyalist paramilitaries.

Staff do not take decisions like this lightly and I must emphasise that this is not a normal industrial relations

John Corey NIPSA

About 900 trust workers took part in the action which resulted in the closure of 10 day care centres throughout the city.

However, the Progressive Unionist Party assembly member for north Belfast Billy Hutchinson criticised the decision to strike as "sectarian".

"I am fed up of the unions taking decisions on a whim and which are for one side of the community," he said.

"The only people going to be affected here today are those people who need the services of the north and west Belfast trust and their families."

But NIPSA's John Corey denied the claim.

Protest

"The staff who took the decision that they wished to have a public protest were taking the decision against any kind of sectarian threat," he said.

"It may have been a particular incident that led to this but in making that decision I am certain that as far as the staff are concerned what they wished to demonstrate more than anything that they wished to stand together as staff regardless of where a threat comes from."

He said staff involved were members of NIPSA and that some services would be affected, including social visits in the community, daycare services and administrative functions.

"Staff do not take decisions like this lightly and I must emphasise that this is not a normal industrial relations strike.

"The staff feel that they must protest strongly against the fact that a sectarian threat was made against one of their colleagues."

A spokeswoman for the North and West Belfast Trust said all 13 day care centres had opened but 10 were forced to close because of a lack of staff.

"All other facilities are working as usual and all health centres and offices are open," she said.

"Residential care and domiciliary care are also being provided as usual."

Kevin Lawrenson, NIPSA's officer in north and west Belfast, described the action as a "tremendous success".

"Staff have been very supportive and have really come out in force."