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Ambulance workers across Staffordshire are set to vote on strike action over what has been deemed “unsafe” staffing levels. West Midlands Ambulance Service is among the 11 trusts that will be taking part in the ballot this morning, October 24.
Union chiefs have said it comes after workers have been left furious at the ambulance service being understaffed. They said this had led to huge delays in ambulances reaching patients.
A third of paramedics who are GMB members say they believe they have been involved in a delay that has led to a death, a spokesman for the union has said. The workers are also unhappy about the NHS Pay Review Body’s decision to offer a four per cent – or £1,400 – salary uplift for medical staff.
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This includes ambulance workers, nurses, allied health professionals, admin and porters. The GMB Union says ambulance workers have been warning the Government for years.
Rachel Harrison, GMB acting national secretary, said: “Ambulance workers don’t do this lightly – and this would be the biggest ambulance strike for 30 years. But more than 10 years of pay cuts, plus the cost-of-living crisis, means workers can’t make ends meet. They are desperate.
“But this is much more about patient safety – at least as much about pay. Delays of up to 26 hours and 135,000 vacancies across the NHS mean a third of GMB ambulance workers think a delay they’ve been involved with has led to a death.
“Ambulance workers have been telling the Government for years things are unsafe. No-one is listening. What else can they do?”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says the priority during any industrial action is to keep patients safe. NHS England will work with providers, professional bodies and trade unions to agree a safe level of cover during any industrial action.
A DHSC spokesperson said: “We value the hard work of NHS staff and are working hard to support them – including by giving over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year. Industrial action is a matter for unions, and we urge them to carefully consider the potential impacts on patients.”
More than 15,000 workers will have until November 29 to cast their votes on industrial action.
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