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LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Britain’s health service faced further disruption in December when thousands of ambulance workers represented by three different trade unions voted for strike action in disputes over pay and conditions.
The GMB union said more than 10,000 ambulance workers across England and Wales had voted in favor of industrial action, while the Unite and Unison trade unions also said their ambulance service members supported the walkout.
Britain’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) is bracing for a wave of unprecedented industrial action this winter, with up to 100,000 nurses set to strike on December 15 and 20 for the first time in their union’s 100-year history.
GMB National Secretary Rachel Harrison said, “No one in the NHS takes strike action lightly, today shows just how desperate they are.”
“This is as much about unsafe staffing levels and patient safety as it is about pay … something has to change or the service as we know it will collapse.”
Inflation has soared in Britain this year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leading to a crisis of living.
The GMB said it would convene in the coming days to discuss possible strike dates before Christmas.
The NHS, which has provided free healthcare at the point of use since 1948, is dealing with record levels of patients waiting for hospital treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a staffing crisis that has left thousands of vacancies.
Accident and emergency departments are also under strain, with ambulances often having to wait long to transfer patients to hospitals.
Separately, the United union said members of its ambulance service had also voted for industrial action, with strikes likely to start before Christmas. It polled 3,000 staff, including paramedics and emergency call handlers.
Unison said on Tuesday that the thousands of health workers it represents, including coal handlers, ambulance technicians and paramedics, were poised to take industrial action in December after voting in favor of strike action.
In response to Unison’s announcement, Britain’s Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said he regretted that some NHS staff would walk out as the country approaches a “challenging winter”.
“Our priority is to keep patients safe during any strike and the NHS has tried and tested plans to minimize disruption and ensure emergency services continue,” Barclay said in a statement.
Reporting by Farooq Suleman and Kylie McLellan; Editing by William James, Janet Lawrence, and Mark Heinrich
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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