Thousands of ambulance workers and paramedics are on strike today after talks between the Government and unions broke down.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay met union reps yesterday – but discussions around pay were off the table.
Unions are now warning they will be left with no option but to consider escalating their strike action if the Government continues to refuse to budge on pay.
Paramedics in GMB, Unison and Unite will walk out in parts of England and Wales after more than 10,000 backed strike action.
GMB paramedics will also strike on December 28. People are told to call 999 only if there is a danger to life.
Troops will cover for ambulance drivers but cannot speed or run red lights.
Volunteers at the Strike Map website have pulled together a searchable map of ambulance stations affected by the strike action. You can look for your local one below.
STRIKE MAP WIDGET: Enter your postcode below and hit the READ MORE button to see the nearest hospital to you where nurses are going on strike
Following the talks with Mr Barclay, Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “I hope that they see some sense.”
“People’s lives are at risk every single day because of the way ambulance services have been treated,” she added.
Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab who attended the meeting said it was “made entirely pointless by the attitude of Steve Barclay who refused to discuss pay”.
“How he hopes to get movement and resolve the dispute without discussing the key issue is mystifying,” he added.
Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, urged ministers to “make us an offer” to avert the strikes. She said: “Ambulance workers do the job because they care deeply for people. The government’s failings mean that they can’t.”
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Humphrey Nemar/ daily mirror)
Agreements on strike cover vary by local area but negotiations between unions and NHS officials have settled on the idea of answering all category one calls — life-threatening emergencies, such as when someone has stopped breathing.
The most urgent category two calls including suspected strokes and chest pains should also get a response.
Other patients will have to make other arrangements such as taxis.
Health minister Will Quince yesterday urged the public to avoid “any risky activity” during the strikes, such as contact sport or “unnecessary” car journeys.
NHS England medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis urges people to “drink responsibly” so they do not “end up in A&E”.
A YouGov poll revealed there is massive public support for NHS workers with two thirds (66%) backing the nurses’ strike and 28% against. Some 63% support the ambulance strike with 31% opposed.
Full list of strike locations
GMB union members
- South West Ambulance Service: 21st December, 06:00 – 23:59. 28th December, 00:01 – 23:59
- South East Coast Ambulance Service: 21st December, 06:00 – 23:59. 28th December, 00:01 – 23:59
- North West Ambulance Service: 21st December, 00:01 – 23:59. 28th December, 00:01 – 23:59
- South Central Ambulance Service: 21st December, 06:00 – 18:00. 28th December, 00:01 – 23:59
- North East Ambulance Service: 21st December, 00:01 – 23:59. 28th December, 00:01 – 23:59
- East Midlands Ambulance Service: 21st December, 06:00 – 05:59. 28th December, 06:00 – 05:59
- West Midlands Ambulance Service: 21st December, 00:01 – 23:59. 28th December, 00:01 – 23:59
- Welsh Ambulance Service: 21st December, 00:01 – 23:59. 28th December, 00:01 – 23:59
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service: 21st December 00:01 – 23:59. 28th December, 00:01 – 23:59
UNISON union members
Ambulance crews working for five services in England – London, Yorkshire, the North West, North East and South West – are to go on strike over pay and staffing on Wednesday 21 December, says UNISON.
The strike involving paramedics, emergency care assistants, ambulance technicians and other 999 crew members will run from midday to midnight.
The ambulance workers are to be joined by nurses, porters, healthcare assistants, cleaners and other NHS workers at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and Liverpool University Hospital taking action on December 21.
Unite union members
More than 1,600 workers at the West Midlands, North West and North East ambulance service trusts will strike on Wednesday 21 December 2022, said Unite.