Wirral's independent local news website
Apology: An earlier version of this story used a photograph of a part of the rear of an ambulance taken by our photographer who assumed it was a standard North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) vehicle. The owner of the private business that operates the ambulance would like to make it clear that their staff are not taking part in the strike. As requested, Birkenhead News has replaced the image. Further, Birkenhead News would like to sincerely apologise to those concerned.
More than 1,500 ambulance workers have voted to strike across the North West.
Paramedics, Emergency Care Assistants, call handlers and other staff are now set to walk out in the region.
Workers across the ambulance services and some NHS Trusts have voted to strike over the Government’s imposed 4 per cent pay award – another real-terms pay cut.
GMB will now meet with reps in the coming days to discuss potential strike dates before Christmas.
Rachel Harrison, GMB 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.”
Image: www.fotopiaimages.com
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