Firefighters strike ballot delayed by Royal Mail walk out as ministers warned of further industrial action in 2023

More than 33,000 members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) are balloting on strike action between December 5 and January 30 -an extended period, which is usually around a month, due to mail delivery delays.

It comes after the FBU rejected a five per cent pay increase earlier this year.

Ministers were warned that industrial action across a growing number of services is likely continue well into the new year unless deals on pay and conditions are negotiated.

The earliest firefighters could walk out if union members vote to take action is mid-February, while highway workers, bus drivers, train staff and driving examiners all have strikes planned for January.

The FBU said: “Firefighters and firefighters control were called ‘key-workers’ during the pandemic but now face another significant cut to their real wages. No more insulting pay offers.”

In a warning about Royal Mail workers walking out, the union urged members to “make sure to vote yes and post back your ballot early” adding “our postal workers are taking action to improve their own pay and conditions, this might cause delays”.

Nurses and ambulance crews are also planning fresh industrial action later in the new year unless pay demands are met.

NHS leaders warned the Government that the service is ” haemorrhaging staff” over salaries and conditions.

Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital and ambulance services in England, said the next few days will be a “challenging time” due to pent-up demand for services after the strikes.

She added: “What we have got to see now is the Government come to the table and have a serious discussion and negotiation about pay because this dispute is about pay and it’s also about working conditions and keeping patients safe,” she said.

In a message to ministers, she said there are over 130,000 vacancies in the NHS and “we are haemorrhaging staff because of pay and working conditions, particularly in more junior bands”.

She said the social care system is also “on its knees”, which has an impact on the NHS by making it harder for hospitals to discharge patients back into the community.

In a bleak assessment of the NHS this winter, Ms Cordery said “even before the industrial action, we knew that we were in for a tough time”, adding: “Demand is very high, staffing levels aren’t where they should be, and we know that we’ve got flu, which is causing rising levels of hospitalisations, we’ve got mental health waiting lists going through the roof, we’ve got Covid coming back now, and we’ve just had a really cold snap, so if we have another one of those that’s going to add into the pot.”