Striking civil servants in Northern Ireland were tonight branded "dishonest and disgraceful" by the minister refusing to give them the pay rise they are demanding.
Public service union NIPSA has been staging industrial action since before Christmas. In recent weeks they have intensified the action, calling key groups of workers out on indefinite strike.
The bulk of vehicle test centres are shut down forcing the cancellation of more than 5,000 MOT tests a week and hundreds of driving tests.
Civil servants who handle teachers pay and pensions for retired teachers and health workers are also on strike. The union claims they have not been given a cost-of-living rise for April last year, but the government insists they will get no more than the the 3.67 per cent increment they have already received.
In a hard-hitting attack, Mr Ian Pearson, Minister responsible for Finance and Personnel in the North, said NIPSA knew a full scale strike would not be supported by staff.
"Rather than accept that reality, they have opted for a dishonest and disgraceful approach. They have picked on the elderly and the infirm and have caused deep public anger."
Ministers had asked officials to look carefully at those areas where industrial action was beginning to seriously disrupt services to the public - particularly those affecting the most vulnerable in society, he said.
"We have asked officials to look into this to see what can be done and NIPSA need to recognise the seriousness of the situation that they're creating," he added.
"The big picture is national pay policy. We have paid staff the 2003 award of 3.67 per cent. They have had salary increases of 14% over the last three years and we can't break national pay policy," he said.
The union needed to realise the decision went "right to the top - the Chancellor, the Prime Minister - its Cabinet pay policy and we're not going to shift on this."
Mr Pearson also expressed concern the strike could damage Northern Ireland's competitiveness in the public sector jobs marketplace as the government carried out reviews seeking to relocate civil service jobs out of London.
"We must do everything necessary to improve our competitiveness and make Northern Ireland an attractive location for new jobs," he said.