Ambulance workers due to be balloted on strike action this month
Staff in Yorkshire will join others from around the country
Ambulance staff in Yorkshire are set to join others across England to be balloted on strike action.
GMB members from London, East of England, East and West Midlands, North East, Yorkshire, North West, South Central, South East Coast, South West and Wales Ambulance trusts will take part in the strike vote.
The ballot opens on 24 October and closes on 29 November, and the union say any potential action could take place before Christmas.
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, said:
“Ambulance workers have just had enough.
“They’ve not been on strike in decades, but they are at the end of what they can take.
“Pay has been systematically slashed for more than ten years and we now face the worst cost of living crush in a generation.
"Meanwhile vacancies are at record highs and we have the worst A&E delays ever - and it’s not even the winter flu season yet.
“But this is about more than pay and conditions. Cuts and shortages mean GMB members feel they are unable to deliver safe standards of patient care.
“Things can’t go on like this - something has to give.”
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said to us last month (September):
"We recognise that staff have the right to voice their concerns in this way, and we are monitoring the situation closely to ensure we continue to provide safe and responsive care for our patients.”