2022 was the year of the strike, with unions going on strike over wage and working conditions disputes.
After significant disruption during the Christmas period, the strikes continued into the New Year and Rishi Sunak reportedly drafted tough new laws to limit their impact.
Ambulance crews are among the people who took to the streets in January and February, and the actions will begin on Wednesday. Here’s everything you need to know.
Are there strikes in ambulances today?
Thousands of paramedics and nurses are set to go on strike the same day next month as a pay dispute with the government shows no signs of being resolved.
The GMB said more than 10,000 ambulance workers, including paramedics, ambulance attendants and call attendants, would go on strike. February 6, February 20, March 6. and 20th of March.
The nurses will also go on strike on Feb. 6, meaning massive disruptions are expected across the NHS on that day. The nurses also go on strike the next day, 7 February.
Saffron Corderi, Acting Director of NHS Providers, said: “Four more days of GMB ambulance strikes will deal another blow to already overstretched health services. And now Unite is announcing new ambulance strikes by its members.
“We understand the strong feelings among NHS workers and no one wants these strikes to take place.
“In order to prevent a new wave of strikes and help the NHS, the government urgently needs to meet with unions and discuss wages for the current financial year.
“Trusts are planning and preparing for industry-wide actions to support staff and are doing everything they can to minimize the impact on patients and day-to-day activities.
“But with an incredibly high number of emergency room visits and delays in the discharge of patients from hospital beds, which seriously hampers the work of overburdened emergency services, the situation can only worsen if these strikes continue.
The emergency services represented by Unison will also come out. Wednesday, 11 and Monday, 23 January..
Services in London, Yorkshire, North West, North East and South West are affected.
The strikes in January will last 24 hours from midnight and will affect all ambulance workers, not just the 999 first responders, Unison said.
An agreement has been reached that no more than half of the staff will be allowed to strike at any one time to ensure that the biggest challenges are met, London Ambulance Service (LAS) CEO Daniel Elkeles said.
The LAS aims to respond “normally” to stroke and heart attack calls, but the public has been warned not to call 999 except in life-threatening emergencies.
“The NHS is still very busy and the hospitals are very, very busy, so I would ask the public to get back to being very helpful tomorrow and only call us if there is a life-threatening emergency,” Elkeles said. said.
“And if they have other emergency needs, use 111 by phone or online.
“But we understand that if you are a patient with a life-threatening emergency, we can respond normally tomorrow.”
Why are doctors on strike?
Rescue services are on strike over wages and personnel.
Unison leaders say the move is a direct result of the government’s refusal to negotiate wages, but wants to wait until the next pay review for the 2023-23 financial year.
Unison General Secretary Christina McKaney said, “Only through negotiation can this dispute be brought to an end. Medical workers do not want to strike again.
“Speeding up the wage review process for next year will not resolve the current dispute over the pitiful amount of money the government has allocated to healthcare workers this year.
“The government must stop using the Wage Review Board as a front for its own inaction. This year’s wage increase simply wasn’t enough to stem the exodus of NHS workers.
“The government should correct this mistake by increasing it more in line with inflation. Only then will the vacancy rate drop and allow the NHS to get back on track and start providing safe patient care.”
Health Minister Steve Barclay said: “Further pay increases will mean money being taken away from frontline services as we grapple with record waiting lists due to the pandemic.”
When are the nurses on strike?
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) dropped a dispute over wages and patient safety in December and will go on strike again. Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 January.
The strike is for the safety of patients, which means that some nurses will continue to work during the action. Exceptions—exemptions for a member or service from participating in a strike—were issued to allow actions to follow the RCN’s “life-saving model”.
RCN said: “Patient safety is always of paramount importance. Unlike many other sectors, some nurses continue to work during the strike. This is carefully negotiated with employers in advance to ensure patient safety.
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.