Ambulance workers in Wales to vote on strike action over pay row

Industrial action ballot dates have been announced for ambulance workers in Wales and across 10 NHS trusts in England.

Ambulance workers at the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust will start voting on October 24, with the result of the ballot due at the end of November.

The trust is the national ambulance service for Wales and employs over 3,000 staff providing ambulance and related services.

The union said any strike action could take place before Christmas.

The ballots follow consultative votes across all the trusts in which workers voted strongly in favour of moving to a formal strike ballot.

Angry

The GMB said its members are angry over a 4% pay award, which it said leaves them facing “another massive real-terms pay cut”.

National officer Rachel Harrison 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 10 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.

“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.”

The other ambulance trusts where GMB members will be balloted are:

London Ambulance Service NHS Trust

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust

North East Ambulance Service Trust

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

South Central Ambulance Service

South East Coast Ambulance Service

South West Ambulance Service