More than 10,000 ambulance employees throughout 9 trusts in England and Wales will strike on 21 and 28 December, the GMB union has confirmed.
The GMB, Unison and Unite unions are coordinating industrial motion in a row over pay.
Ambulance employees from the GMB union, together with paramedics, emergency care assistants, name handlers and different employees, will strike on 21 and 28 December on the following trusts:
• South West Ambulance Service
• South East Coast Ambulance Service
• North West Ambulance Service
• South Central Ambulance Service
• North East Ambulance Service
• East Midlands Ambulance Service
• West Midlands Ambulance Service
• Welsh Ambulance Service
• Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Unite mentioned greater than 1,600 of its members on the West Midlands, North West and North East ambulance service trusts would additionally be a part of the walkout on 21 December.
Ambulance crews in Unison will be a part of the strike at 5 companies in England: London, Yorkshire, the North West, North East and South West.
The strikes will go forward after the Royal College of Nursing staged their second walkout, which was additionally over pay.
Last week, employees throughout the ambulance companies and a few NHS trusts voted to take industrial motion over the federal government’s 4% pay award, which the GMB union has described as one other “massive real-terms pay cut”.
‘Life and limb cowl’
The union mentioned its representatives will now meet with particular person trusts to debate necessities for “life and limb cover” on the 2 confirmed dates.
Rachel Harrison, GMB nationwide secretary, mentioned: “After twelve years of Conservative cuts to the service and their pay packets, NHS staff have had enough.
“The very last thing they need to do is take strike motion, however the authorities has left them with no selection.
“Steve Barclay needs to listen and engage with us about pay. If he can’t talk to us about this most basic workforce issue, what on earth is he health secretary for?
“The authorities might cease this strike in a heartbeat – however they should get up and begin negotiating on pay.”
‘Stark warning’ to the government
Unite called the action a “stark warning” to the government, which it urged to stem the “disaster” engulfing the NHS.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “Make no mistake, we at the moment are within the combat of our lives for the very NHS itself. These strikes are a stark warning – our members are taking a stand to save lots of our NHS from this authorities.
“Patients’ lives are already at risk but this government is sitting on the sidelines, dodging its responsibility to sort out the crisis that it has created.
“Ministers cannot maintain hiding behind the pay assessment physique. They know full effectively it doesn’t tackle the determined must get big numbers of NHS employees off the breadline.
“Fail to act now to avert these strikes and the blame will rest firmly at the government’s door.”
Unite mentioned it could keep important emergency cowl for sufferers.
It can be balloting 10,000 extra NHS employees at 38 completely different employers throughout England and Wales. The outcomes are anticipated later this month.
Unison ambulance crews to walkout
Unison mentioned its strike, which includes paramedics, emergency care assistants, ambulance technicians and different 999 crew members, will run from noon till midnight on 21 December.
The ambulance employees shall be joined by Unison nurses, porters, healthcare assistants, cleaners and different NHS employees at two Liverpool hospitals.
Unison may even re-ballot round 13,000 NHS employees working for 10 Trusts and ambulance companies the place turnout within the current strike vote fell wanting the brink required by regulation.
Unison’s head of well being, Sara Gorton, mentioned: “The government will only have itself to blame if there are strikes in the NHS before Christmas.
“Ambulance employees and their well being colleagues do not need to inconvenience anybody however ministers are refusing to do the one factor that would forestall disruption – that is begin real talks about pay.
“Wages are too low to stop health workers quitting the NHS. As more and more hand in their notice, there are fewer staff left to care for patients. The public knows that’s the reason behind lengthy waits at A&E, growing ambulances delays, postponed operations and cancelled clinics.
“Threatened NHS strikes in Scotland had been referred to as off as a result of ministers there perceive greater wages and improved staffing ranges go hand in hand. Unfortunately, the penny’s but to drop for the Westminster authorities.”
Source: information.sky.com”