Approximately 1,200 military personnel and 1,000 civil servants will be summoned to cover for striking ambulance and Border Force personnel over the Christmas holiday.
According to the administration, the personnel will fill staffing gaps and maintain front-line services.
In a salary dispute, around 10,000 ambulance personnel in England and Wales will go on strike on December 21 and 28.
Unions assert that military personnel lack “adequate training” for ambulance roles.
However, Health Secretary Steve Barclay stated that patient safety is his “number one priority.
However, he refrained to engage in “political issues” and emphasized that the government directs the military to “serve the nation.”
The commander of the armed forces has cautioned against viewing the military as the “go-to” option for strike coverage.
The Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, told the Sunday Telegraph: “We have no excess capacity. We’re busy and performing numerous duties on behalf of the nation, thus we must prioritize our principal function “.
The Welsh government has stated that military personnel will not be required to operate ambulances in Wales.
The coordinated walkout was organized by Unison, GMB, and Unite, the three largest ambulance unions.
All three will take action on December 21. GMB union members will again go on strike on December 28.
In the meantime, members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are scheduled to strike again on 20 December in portions of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, following action on 15 December.
The nursing union has stated that it will set a deadline of 48 hours after the end of the strike for ministers to agree to discuss pay, failing which it will announce more broad action for the new year.
The government stated that pay increases for paramedics and nurses are determined by independent pay review organizations, which have proposed pay increases of approximately 4.75 percent.
This implies an unreasonable salary decrease in real terms, according to unions, because inflation is greater than 10 percent and many individuals are struggling with the rising cost of living.
Oliver Dowden, a cabinet minister, stated that the government was “resolute” and that a 19% raise for nurses was “just unaffordable.”
On the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg program, he urged the unions to put off the strikes, stating, “We are attempting to be reasonable, proportionate, and fair.”
As the cost of living grows, rail workers, Royal Mail employees, and workers in other industries have taken industrial action over pay conflicts in recent weeks.
The government has announced that it will release a new “resilience framework” on Monday, to enhance the United Kingdom’s readiness and response to crucial situations such as strikes.
The framework will “bring together all levels of government, operators of important national infrastructure, the commercial sector, charitable organizations, and the general public” to strengthen national preparation against these threats, according to the Cabinet Office.
The comments of the Chief of Defense Staff are carefully calibrated.
When questioned about the strikes, he neither criticizes the government for calling in the military forces nor the strikers.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin is aware that the military must keep out of politics, and he makes it plain that the military exists to serve the nation regardless of the mission.
However, his sentiments do represent some of the dissatisfaction felt by members of the armed services when they are once again asked to do someone else’s job. It’s certainly not the first time.
They were utilized extensively during the Covid epidemic. In 2012, security was required for the London Olympics.
When asked about the strike action, the chief of the armed forces reminds the people that defending the nation is their top responsibility.
Often, being pulled away to fulfill other responsibilities can have an impact on training, but will not hinder military operations.
Admiral Radakin’s remarks are indicative of irritation rather than rage regarding the tasks assigned. He is also aware that when the military assists, the majority of people are thankful.
The ambulance strikes will only affect calls that are not life-threatening. NHS administrators have urged hospitals to brace for “severe disruption” during the walkouts and to free up beds to make it easier to move patients through A&E and get paramedics back on the road as quickly as possible.
However, doctors’ leaders cautioned that this would be exceedingly challenging to do.
Individual NHS trusts will engage with unions to determine a safe level of coverage. The government stated that the health service will implement “tried and tested” procedures to reduce risks to patient safety and disruptions.
However, Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, stated there was “no doubt” that strikes would pose hazards to patients.
“We’re in the dead of winter, and the health service is struggling to keep up even on an ordinary day without industrial action,” he said. “Consequently, there will be dangers for patients. There is no doubt about that.”
The head of health at Unison, Sara Gorton, stated that during a day of the strike there is “sadly more risk” to patients, but that “every single day patients are put at risk due to the staffing shortage.”
According to Unison, there are 133,000 openings in the health service.
Army, Navy, and Royal Air Force personnel will be deployed. 600 members of the military will serve as ambulance drivers, while 150 personnel will provide logistical support.
Community first responders will also be utilized to assist in the management of medical care demand.
Mr. Barclay called the decision to proceed with strikes “very unfortunate,” reiterating the government’s stance that the striking unions’ demands are “unaffordable,” but he also stated that he was “willing to engage in further conversations.”
“My top goal is to keep patients as safe as possible, and we are intensifying preparations across the government and the NHS, including maximizing the use of the armed forces, and volunteers, and freeing up capacity to reduce disruption and guarantee safe staffing levels,” he added.
Unite claimed officials of “hollowing out” the health sector and described strikers as “attempting to defend the NHS.”
GMB and Unison criticized ministers for their decision to “dig in their heels” on wages while the NHS is “already on its knees,” adding that disruption is now “inevitable.”
The head of health at Unison, Sara Gorton, cautioned that the military is “no alternative” for qualified ambulance workers, adding, “The hours spent on contingency preparation may have been better spent attempting to prevent the strikes from occurring.”
In the meantime, the largest union representing Border Force personnel plans to strike for eight days between December 23 and December 31, causing severe traffic disruptions over the holiday season.
The government has stated that city officials will join military personnel in assisting to “minimize disturbance for passengers” by inspecting paperwork and passports.
Ticket sales ceased
Passport-controlling Border Force employees will strike from December 23-26 and 28-31 at Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, and Newhaven airports and ports.
Approximately 75% of Border Force employees are members of the Public and Commercial Services union, which balloted for strike action after claiming that the government declined to enhance a 2% pay increase offer.
As a result, several airlines have ceased selling new tickets for incoming flights to Heathrow during strike days over the Christmas season.
The Home Office earlier stated that it was “very upset” with the PCS union’s decision, warning that it would cause “severe annoyance” to Christmas travelers and that “passengers should be prepared for disruptions and take steps to plan.”
The PCS has accused Home Secretary Suella Braverman of scrambling to find “anyone she can” to substitute for border employees, echoing the ambulance unions’ fear that military personnel and other public servants are not “adequately qualified.”
