Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Patrick Edrich

'Desperate' ambulance staff to strike before Christmas

Ambulance workers across the North West have voted to strike - after nurses also announced they would be walking out in December.

More than 1,500 ambulance workers have voted to strike across the region. The GMB union, which represents ambulance workers, said: "No one in the health service takes strike action lightly - today shows just how desperate they are."

Paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff will walk out. Workers across the ambulance service and some NHS trusts have voted to strike over the government's imposed 4% pay award.

READ MORE: Nurses across Liverpool to strike on two days next month as one says 'we're in dire straits'

GMB has called it a "massive real terms pay cut." GMB will now meet with representatives in the coming days to discuss potential strike dates before Christmas.

The announcement comes just a day after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said their members would walk out on two days next month. Union members from all the NHS trusts in Merseyside will walk out on December 15 and 20. The strikes will be the largest industrial action the profession has ever seen.

In relation to the ambulance strikes, Rachel Harrison, GMB's national secretary, said: "Ambulance workers – like other NHS workers – are on their knees. Demoralised and downtrodden, they’ve faced twelve 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 – today 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."

Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here .

READ NEXT:

Man buys nine separate tickets for one train journey and saves £360

First picture of police officer accused of 'abusing position for sexual purposes'

Remorseless 'predator' saw teenager heading home from night out as 'easy target'

Floral tributes for man, 36, who died after falling from bridge

Find the coins hidden on the ECHO website for the chance to win a £200 voucher

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.