…By Larry John for TDPel Media.
Ambulance workers employed at South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust and South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the South East region of the UK will go on strike on Tuesday.
The industrial action is part of a long-standing dispute over pay, which Unite, the union representing the workers, is escalating.
The strike will begin at 12 pm and last until 10 pm.
In the past, Unite’s members and those in the Royal College of Nursing employed in the National Health Service (NHS) in England rejected the government’s offer of a 5% pay rise for this year and a lump sum cash payment for 2022/23.
Meanwhile, members of most other health unions accepted the offer.
Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said that the current offer by the government does not do anything to address the recruitment and retention crisis plaguing the NHS.
She further added that Unite has always maintained that a non-consolidated lump sum for 2022/23 would not suffice, as it has now been shown.
As part of its strategy to exert more pressure on the government, Unite is escalating its industrial action.
The strike by the South East ambulance workers is part of this strategy.
Sharon Graham has urged the government to reopen negotiations and make a proper wage offer to NHS workers.
Commentary:
This news article reports on a strike by ambulance workers employed in two NHS trusts in the South East of England.
The strike is part of an ongoing dispute over pay, which Unite is escalating.
The article notes that Unite’s members, as well as those in the Royal College of Nursing, rejected the government’s offer of a pay rise and a lump sum cash payment for the next year, while most other health unions accepted the offer.
Unite’s general secretary is quoted as saying that the current offer does nothing to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the NHS.
The article also reports that the strike is part of Unite’s strategy to exert more pressure on the government.