Welsh Ambulance Service workers have voted to take industrial action again in January as part of a dispute over pay and working conditions, with two additional dates announced. Unite union, which represents more than 1,000 members in the service has announced two 24-hour strikes set for January 19 and January 23.
Union members voted overwhelmingly in favour with a margin of 88%. It means that about 1,000 Welsh Ambulance Service (WAS) members could take part strike, along with more than 1,600 ambulance workers and Unite members in England. As per previous ambulance service strikes, the sickest patients will be seen with the service operating a ‘life and limb’ cover provision with the Trust.
Workers are calling for the Welsh Government to put a better pay deal on the table to solve the crisis with recruitment and retention issues that the union says is "crippling" the service.
Read more: Nurses plan to strike again in 2023 due to 'lack of engagement' from Welsh Government
In December a separate union, GMB, which also represents ambulance workers decided to take industrial action. The union members took strike action in protest against the Welsh Government's offer of a £1,400 pay increase to most NHS staff - equivalent to a 7.5% increase for lower-paid staff in Bands 1 to 4 and a 4% increase in Bands 6-7.
Some employees say this is not enough when compared to the current inflation rate of around 10.6% but no further offers have been put on the table. The Welsh Government claims it cannot address the pay issue without extra help from the UK Government.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite will stand 100 percent behind our Welsh Ambulance members who are striking to save our NHS. They see first-hand every day how the NHS is collapsing. A decent pay increases is the only way to improve NHS recruitment and relieve the crippling pressure on ambulance services.
“The roots of this dispute may be in Westminster, but the Welsh Government needs to move to improve its pay offer if we are to avoid a prolonged dispute.
“This union stands ready for serious negotiations with governments in all nations, Wales included. We now urgently need action to address the NHS pay and staffing crisis.”
Unite Wales regional officer Richard Munn said: “The anger that has led to this strike is about more than just pay. Staff are exhausted and stressed and the meagre pay increase was the final straw for most.
“We know that the Welsh Government has limited finances but Unite is imploring them to come to the table with an increased offer, as was the case in Scotland.
“Unite recognises that the crisis has arisen because of the Westminster government’s deliberate failure to fund a decent NHS pay rise across the UK. While the UK government seems oblivious to the anger and frustration of NHS workers,
the Welsh Government has shown that it does understand the issues. But now it needs to act.”
Speaking previously about strike action by ambulance workers, a Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We recognise why so many ambulance workers voted the way they did and the anger and disappointment many public sector workers are feeling at the moment. We believe our emergency services should be fairly rewarded for their important work but our current financial settlement falls far short of what is needed to meet the very significant challenges faced by our public services and workers across Wales. We value social partnership and we continue to meet the trade unions to discuss a range of issues affecting the workforce.”
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