More than 10,000 ambulance workers vote to strike over pay

Members of the GMB at nine NHS trusts in England and Wales backed industrial action, join thousands of Unison members who are also walking out

GMB members in the ambulance service have voted to strike over pay (Joshua Bratt/PA) (PA Wire)

More than 10,000 ambulance workers have voted to strike across nine trusts in England and Wales, increasing the threat of widespread industrial action in the NHS before Christmas.

The GMB said its members working as paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff are set to walk out in 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 and Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

The GMB said workers across the ambulance services and some NHS trusts have voted to strike over the Government’s 4 per cent pay award, which it described as another “massive real-terms pay cut”.

The announcement comes a day after Unison confirmed thousands of its ambulance workers and call centre staff would take action in the coming weeks.

Something has to change or the service as we know it will collapse

Rachel Harrison GMB

The union will meet with reps in the coming days to discuss potential strike dates before Christmas.

Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: “Ambulance workers – like other NHS workers – are on their knees.

“Demoralised and downtrodden, they’ve faced 12 years of Conservative cuts to the service and their pay packets, fought on the frontline of a global pandemic and now face the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

“No one in the NHS takes strike action lightly – today shows just how desperate they are.

“This is as much about unsafe staffing levels and patient safety as it is about pay. A third of GMB ambulance workers think delays they’ve been involved with have led to the death of a patient.

“Something has to change or the service as we know it will collapse.

“GMB calls on the Government to avoid a winter of NHS strikes by negotiating a pay award that these workers deserve.”