East Midlands Ambulance Service workers 'on their knees' as they vote to strike over pay

Paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff are now set to walk out at East and West Midlands ambulance services.

Trade union GMB said workers across the ambulance services and some NHS trusts have voted to strike over the Government’s 4 per cent pay award, described as another “massive real-terms pay cut”, with inflation currently standing at 11.1 per cent.

The union will now meet with reps in the coming days to discuss potential strike dates before Christmas.

Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: “Ambulance workers, like other NHS workers, are on their knees.

“Demoralised and downtrodden, they’ve faced 12 years Conservative cuts to the service and their pay packets, fought on the frontline of a global pandemic and now face the worst cost of living crisis in a generation.

“No one in the NHS takes strike action lightly – this shows just how desperate they are.

“This is as much about unsafe staffing levels and patient safety as it is about pay. A third of GMB ambulance workers think delays they’ve been involved with have led to the death of a patient.

“Something has to change or the service as we know it will collapse.

“GMB calls on the Government to avoid a Winter of NHS strikes by negotiating a pay award that these workers deserve.”

East Midlands Ambulance Service hopes to minimise the impact on patients during the dispute.

Tina Richardson, EMAS deputy director of human resources and organisational development, said: “NHS pay levels are agreed at a national level and are therefore negotiated nationally for NHS employees.

“We recognise this is a very challenging time for all of our people.

“We fully respect the right of NHS staff to take lawful industrial action, but urge national trade union representatives to reach a negotiated settlement to the dispute as quickly as possible.

“During this period of the dispute, we will do all we can to minimise the impact on our patients and will continue to work very closely with our union colleagues and NHS Employers and carry on supporting the wellbeing of our staff.”