Thousands of ambulance workers to strike days before Christmas
Other NHS staff will also strike on December 21
Ambulance workers and other NHS staff will strike on December 21st in a row over pay.
The GMB, Unison and Unite unions are co-ordinating industrial action across England and Wales after accusing the Government of ignoring pleas for a decent wage rise.
The strike will happen a day after members of the Royal College of Nursing stage their second walkout, also over pay.
The GMB said more than 10,000 ambulance workers across nine trusts in England and Wales will strike.
Paramedics, Emergency Care Assistants, call handlers and other staff will also walk out on December 28.
The GMB members will strike at the:
- South West Ambulance Service
- South East Coast Ambulance Service
- North West Ambulance Service
- South Central Ambulance Service
- North East Ambulance Service
- East Midlands Ambulance Service
- West Midlands Ambulance Service
- Welsh Ambulance Service
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service
GMB representatives will now meet with individual trusts to discuss requirements for life-and-limb cover.
Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: “After 12 years of Conservative cuts to the service and their pay packets, NHS staff have had enough.
“The last thing they want to do is take strike action but the Government has left them with no choice.
“Health Secretary Steve Barclay needs to listen and engage with us about pay. If he can’t talk to us about this most basic workforce issue, what on Earth is he Health Secretary for?
“The Government could stop this strike in a heartbeat – but they need to wake up and start negotiating on pay.”
"This strike isn’t just about pay"
Jason Kirkham, a Unite member and paramedic in the West Midlands, added: “This strike isn’t just about pay – it is to save the NHS. The NHS is crumbling. We can’t recruit and retain staff as pay is so low.
“It has got so bad that we have had to open a food bank in my ambulance station.”
Throughout the strike, Unite said it will maintain essential emergency cover for patients.
Unite continues to ballot 10,000 more NHS workers at 38 different employers across England and Wales, with the results expected later this month.
Ambulance crews in Unison working for five services in England – London, Yorkshire, the North West, North East and South West – will strike.
Unison said its strike, involving paramedics, emergency care assistants, ambulance technicians and other 999 crew members, will run from noon to midnight.
The ambulance workers are to be joined by Unison nurses, porters, healthcare assistants, cleaners and other NHS workers at two Liverpool hospitals, who will also take action that day.
The strike at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and Liverpool University Hospital starts at 7.30am on Wednesday December 21 and ends 24 hours later.
Unison is also about to begin reballoting around 13,000 NHS staff working for 10 trusts and ambulance services where turnout in the recent strike vote fell just short of the threshold required by law.
History of the NHS
NHS is established
The National Health Service was formally established in 1948 at what is now Trafford General Hospital in Manchester. The service was started by Aneurin Bevan under the government of Clement Atlee. Its aim was to create a system of free healthcare to all. One of the first patients was Sylvia Diggory, aged 13, who was suffering from a liver condition.
Prescription charges introduced
Soon after its inception, charges for prescriptions and dental care were introduced. Each prescription would cost one shilling, while dental care would require a £1 payment. Charges would eventually be dropped and then reinstated in 1968.
NHS discoveries
Throughout the 1950s, thanks to the pioneering technology the NHS was using, a number of medical advancements were made. Polio vaccinations were rolled out in the UK, the structure of DNA was found and the link between smoking and cancer was proven.
Treating new diseases
As time went on and the NHS grew, so did its capacity to look after those who were unable to be treated before. The Mental Health Act in 1983 was the first time the concept of consent was raised in treating those with mental health issues. Nurses also treated people suffering from AIDS in the late 1980s and, together with the government, helped to reduce the stigma of the disease, which primarily affected gay men.
Opening to the public
In order to cope with the increasing demand for the NHS, the structure of the service changed. In 1991, NHS Trusts were established in the first of a wave of reorganisation for the service. People would later be able to donate organs more easily with the introduction of the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Stretched resources
In the 21st century, the NHS came under pressure as a result of stretched resources. With the rising cost of medicines, the government voted to bring in longer working hours and minimal increases in pay for NHS staff in 2015. This resulted in a mass picket of junior doctors around the country for better working conditions. It was the first general strike in the NHS' history and the first instance of industrial action in 40 years. There have been further strikes in 2023
NHS during coronavirus
In 2020, a new disease named COVID-19 began to spread around the world, eventually reaching the UK at the end of January. The resulting pandemic led to NHS workers being on the frontline of the disease. Support for the NHS grew massively and during lockdowns, so-called "Claps for Carers" would take place every Thursday to thank the NHS and its staff for protecting the public during the pandemic.