In a disagreement over wages, more than 15,000 ambulance employees across 11 trusts in England and Wales have begun voting on prospective strike action.
The GMB union stated that workers were outraged about a 4% pay award, which it termed as a “huge actual wage loss.”
It was emphasized that none of the actions would affect emergency callouts.
The government, which announced salary increases for more than a million workers, is pushing ambulance personnel to consider the impact on patients.
Rachel Harrison, acting national secretary of the GMB, stated, “Ambulance workers do not take this lightly. This would be the largest strike involving ambulances in thirty years.
“After more than a decade of pay cuts and the rising cost of living, workers are unable to make ends meet. They are in dire straits”
Workers in other unions within the NHS, including nurses, are also being asked if they wish to strike over wages.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) stated that it appreciates the “hard work” of NHS employees and has offered more than one million workers a salary increase of at least £1,400 in 2018.
“Industrial action is a matter for unions, and we urge them to carefully examine the potential effects on patients,” stated a spokesperson.
Ambulance personnel from the following trusts are participating in the poll, which concludes on November 29:
- South Central Ambulance Service
- South East Coast Ambulance Service
- South West Ambulance Service
- East of England Ambulance Service
- East Midlands Ambulance Service
- London Ambulance Service
- North East Ambulance Service
- North West Ambulance Service
- Welsh Ambulance Service
- West Midlands Ambulance Service
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service
The DHSC stated that NHS England would collaborate with providers, professional organizations, and labor unions to determine a safe level of coverage in the event of industrial action.
