Ambulance staff in the south-east of England are to strike over pay for the second time on Tuesday, prompting warnings from hospital bosses of further pressure on overstretched emergency services.
Members of the Unite trade union employed by two ambulance trusts are striking after rejecting the government’s pay offer of a lump sum cash payment for 2022-23 and a below inflation increase of 5% for 2023-24.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, urged ministers to reopen negotiations and make a “proper wage offer” to NHS workers.
She said: “The strike action by our south-east ambulance workers is part of Unite’s escalation strategy to exert greater pressure on the government. We have always said that a non-consolidated lump sum for 22-23 would not cut it. So it has turned out. The current offer does nothing to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis crippling the NHS.”
Unite is carrying out a series of ballots to increase the number of workers able to take strike action. The move comes despite the NHS staff council, which covers 12 unions, voting to accept the pay deal. Unite was among the unions that failed to back the deal at the vote earlier this month.
Unite members employed at both South Central and South East Coast ambulance trusts will strike from 12pm until 10pm on Tuesday. This is their second strike, though some other ambulance trusts have held five days of industrial action.
Julian Hartley, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents health service trust leaders, said the strike would “pile even more pressure on already overstretched NHS services”. Hospital leaders, he said,
were anticipating another day of disruption including rescheduled patient appointments, handover delays and increased pressure on emergency departments.
“Leaders across the health service had hoped the NHS staff council’s welcome acceptance of a new pay deal signalled an end to the most disruptive period of industrial action in NHS history, but they continue to face more walkouts,” said Hartley.
“We need to see serious talks between the government and unions to resolve these ongoing disputes and to avert further strikes.”
He said added that trust leaders were working hard to minimise the impact of the strikes, and urged people to continue to call 999 in a life-threatening emergency and to use NHS 111 online services for non-urgent health needs.
Picket lines will be in place at Portsmouth patient transport service base and Thameside ambulance station in Northfleet, Kent.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said it was disappointing that strike action was continuing after some unions voted to accept the pay offer.
She said: “These strikes will put more pressure on the NHS and will be disruptive for patients. Most unions on the NHS staff council voted to accept our pay offer and we hope the unions who choose to remain in dispute – despite many of their members also voting to accept this offer – will recognise this as a fair outcome that carries the support of their colleagues and decide it is time to bring industrial action to an end.”
