More strike days have been announced for ambulance workers in Wales. It comes as one union called off their strikes following a new pay offer from the Welsh Government.
Welsh ambulance workers who are members of the union Unite are set to strike on February 20, 21 and 22. The union GMB was due to strike on February 6 and 7 but the action days were called off after the Welsh Government offered a pay increase of 1.5% and a one-off payment equivalent to a further 1.5% of salary. Strike action still went ahead by those who are members of Unite.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said that ambulance service workers claim the new pay offer is not acceptable. She said: “I have visited Ambulance Service picket lines in Wales today and our members are telling me loud and clear that the new pay offer from Welsh Government is not acceptable. Unite is therefore escalating its industrial action. Without a decent consolidated pay rise, the staffing exodus afflicting NHS Wales will continue, and so will the current crisis”.
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“Unite is entirely focused on fighting for our members and for the future of the NHS. Unite’s Welsh Ambulance Service members will continue to receive the union’s total support.”
Unite Wales Regional Officer Richard Munn said: “Unite have today served notice of three more days of strike action within Welsh Ambulance. Our members have told us that the pay offer made last week is not good enough and that Welsh Government must do better if this dispute is to be resolved. We are asking Welsh Government to improve their offer in order to avert further industrial action”.
On Friday strikes by GMB, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives were called off following a revised pay offer from the Welsh Government. This revised pay offer comprises an additional 3%, of which 1.5% is consolidated so will be in pay packets year-on-year, on top of the Pay Review Body recommendations, which have already been implemented in full. This offer will be backdated to April 2022.
A spokesperson from the Welsh Government said: "Included in this revised package are a number of non-pay commitments to enhance staff well-being. Whilst there is currently no improved pay offer on the table for NHS staff in England, it was also agreed that any resulting Barnett consequential following any improved offer to staff in England would result in a further pay offer to staff in Wales."
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