Ambulance staff to hold first strike in 30 years ahead of Christmas as looming NHS winter crisis worsens
30 November 2022, 08:07 | Updated: 30 November 2022, 08:12
Ambulance workers across England are set to strike in the lead up to Christmas amid a mounting NHS winter crisis.
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More than 80,000 health workers across England voted in favour of industrial action over pay and staffing levels.
Unison confirmed the decision on Tuesday, saying thousands of 999 call handlers, ambulance technicians, paramedics and their colleagues working for ambulance services in the North East, North West, London, Yorkshire and the South West are to be called out on strike.
The union's health committee is analysing the results of the ballot and will decide what happens next.
Read more: Armed forces set to rescue NHS under emergency plans for winter walkouts
GMB - the largest union for ambulance staff - is also expected to declare its members have voted in favour of walkouts in coming weeks.
It comes after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced that its members would stage their first ever national walk out on December 15 and 20.
Some 200,000 health workers are now understood to be backing strikes.
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: "The decision to take action and lose a day's pay is always a tough call. It's especially challenging for those whose jobs involve caring and saving lives.
"But thousands of ambulance staff and their NHS colleagues know delays won't lessen, nor waiting times reduce, until the Government acts on wages. That's why they've taken the difficult decision to strike.
"Patients will always come first and emergency cover will be available during any strike. But unless NHS pay and staffing get fixed, services and care will continue to decline.
"The public knows health services won't improve without huge increases in staffing and wants the government to pay up to save the NHS. It's high time ministers stopped using the pay review body as cover for their inaction.
"Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak and Steve Barclay must roll up their sleeves and start talking to unions about how better wages for staff can help start to turn the NHS around."
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: "I’m hugely grateful for the hard work and dedication of NHS staff and deeply regret some will be taking industrial action – which is in nobody’s best interests as we approach a challenging winter.
"Our economic circumstances mean unions’ demands are not affordable - each additional 1% pay rise for all staff on the Agenda for Change contract would cost around £700 million a year.
"We’ve prioritised the NHS with record funding and accepted the independent pay review body recommendations in full to give over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year, with those on the lowest salaries receiving an increase of up to 9.3%.
"This is on top of 3% last year when public sector pay was frozen and wider government support with the cost of living.
"Our priority is keeping patients safe during any strikes and the NHS has tried and tested plans to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.
"My door remains open to discuss with the unions ways we can make the NHS a better place to work."
