A further strike involving ambulance workers has been announced today, as a bitter row over pay and working conditions continues with the current Conservative Government.
Union Unite has revealed that its members will now walk out in a couple of weeks time, come January 23.
The union has also detailed that it will be working with local trusts in the affected areas, to ensure that life and limb emergency cover is still available during the walkouts.
According to the PA News Agency over 2,600 ambulance workers in the North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands and Wales will be involved in the upcoming bout of action. Unite announced that the strike marks an escalation in the current dispute, with more workers set to take action than the last strike in December.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s ambulance workers have been left with no option but to take industrial action. They are fighting to protect patients, to save the ambulance service and the NHS itself, as well as providing for their families.
“The Government has had months to intervene and end this dispute but has failed to do so. They choose to attack NHS workers rather than get more money for the NHS from profiteering companies. They repeatedly refuse to sit down and negotiate in order to resolve the dispute.
“The talks the Government has lined up for Monday yet again look like nothing more than a smokescreen and are clearly not a negotiation on NHS pay. But this is real and urgent. NHS staff need their bills paying now.
"Vital health workers are leaving the service now. Patients are suffering and dying now. The Prime Minister needs to step up to the moment and lead. That is what he is paid for.”
Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab, added: “The Government has repeatedly missed open goals to resolve this dispute. Unions have been invited to talk and then told they can’t talk about pay, in a pay dispute. The Government must get its head out of the sand and finally enter into serious negotiations about pay in order to avert further industrial action.
"The general public must be as mystified as our ambulance workers as to why the Government is not moving heaven and earth to solve this dispute.”
In traditional fashion, representatives from Unite will be working now to agree derogations - in a bid to secure emergency cover during the date of striking. In totality, the action will last for 24 hours from one minute past midnight until one hour to midnight for those across the North East, North West, East Midlands and Wales.
The West Midlands parties involved will only strike for 12 hours between 6.00am and 6.00pm.
Unite members who are employed by the Welsh Ambulance Service will also take an initial day of strike action come January 19. Ambulance workers who are a part of Unison are also set to strike four days later.
Unison are also collating with GMB to hold a joint ambulance strike next Wednesday (January 11).
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