The ambulance union leader said he would cancel Wednesday’s ambulance strike if the government offered “significant” wages today.
GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said Monday’s talks with Health Secretary Stephen Barclay were “real change” but not “advanced” enough to halt Wednesday’s strike.
She told the BBC: “There was a real change yesterday because the Foreign Minister and his team were ready to listen to us, to talk to us specifically about salaries next year, but unfortunately the meeting was not progressive. enough so that we can suspend the strike tomorrow because no proposals have come in yet.”
More than 10,000 GMB union workers, including paramedics, call operators and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), are set to quit on Wednesday amid disputes over wages and benefits. Unionists are also on strike.
New ambulance strikes by members of Unison and Unite are scheduled for January 23rd.
Ms Harrison said she is now confident that the government is talking about wages, but the discussion is not moving fast enough.
“The sad reality is that they discussed this until this week, and now it is too late, because if a proposal is not made today that is important enough for our MPs and members of our national committee to discuss, this proposal will continue to strike. “, she said. “The fact that they are in the room trying to talk to us about the salary is a step forward, but it is not enough.”
Members of nine GMB ambulance trusts in England and Wales will go on strike tomorrow. Five services in England, represented by Unison, are also on strike.
So the paramedics told me I how grueling shifts and long waits outside of hospitals resulted in patients dying on non-strike days.
The strikes come as emergency departments face multiple challenges, including overcrowding, bed shortages causing ambulance delays, and chronic staffing shortages. An ambulance doctor from northern England said he had to declare a patient dead on the waiting room floor in front of “shocked” strangers and his wife.
During the latest ambulance strike on 21 December, NHS England stated that ambulance services would only give priority to the most clinically urgent Category 1 or 2 cases. This meant that late-stage labor was classified as a Category 3 emergency call, and as a result, women who gave birth at home were warned not to expect emergency services to arrive in the event of complications.
Category 1 calls are calls that require an immediate response, such as B. Heart attacks. Category 2 calls are serious illnesses, including stroke or chest pain.
As advice for tomorrow, NHS England urged patients to continue going to the emergency room and using 999 for life-threatening emergencies. Online 111 should be used as the first point of contact for health matters.
In a statement by Dr. Vin Diwacker, NHS Medical Director for Secondary Care, said there is bound to be some kind of impact on services.
“The message from the NHS to patients is clear: if you need urgent care, please contact us.
“This means you can continue to call 999 for life-threatening emergencies and use 111 online for other health-related needs where you can get clinical advice on how to proceed.”
Where will the ambulance strikes tomorrow?
Within the GMB, the following ambulance trusts are on strike:
- Southwest Ambulance Service
- Southeast Coast Ambulance Service
- Northwest Ambulance Service
- South Central Ambulance Service
- Ambulance North East
- East Midlands Ambulance Service
- West Midlands Ambulance Service
- Welsh Ambulance Service
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service
The areas of England where Unison members are on strike are as follows:
- London
- Yorkshire
- To the northeast
- northwest
- southwest
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.