West Midlands Ambulance crews set to vote on potential strike action around pay
Ambulance crews from across the region are being asked to cast their votes about potential strike action over pay.
The members of the GMB union from the West Midlands will be among more than 15,000 ambulance workers across 11 trusts in England and Wales to start voting today on whether to strike over pay.
Members of the GMB union are being balloted in the coming weeks amid continuing industrial unrest in many sectors of the economy, with NHS workers in other unions, including nurses, also being asked if they want to take strike action over pay.
The GMB said its members were angry over the Government's imposed four per cent pay award, describing it as "another massive real terms pay cut."
Rachel Harrison, GMB acting national secretary, said: "Ambulance workers don't do this lightly and this would be the biggest ambulance strike for 30 years.
"But more than 10 years of pay cuts, plus the cost-of-living crisis, means workers can't make ends meet and they are desperate.
"This is much more about patient safety at least as much about pay.
"Delays up to 26 hours and 135,000 vacancies across the NHS mean a third of GMB ambulance workers think a delay they've been involved with has led to a death.
"Ambulance workers have been telling the Government for years things are unsafe, but no one is listening, so what else can they do?"
Dudley South MP Mike Wood said he felt any strike action would be disappointing, saying it would affect patients the most.
He said: "The ambulance staff do a fantastic job, but the strike action would obviously be extremely disappointing and would clearly be damaging to patients."
Stuart Richards, senior organiser for GMB Midlands, said: "The last 12 years has seen our ambulance services crumble from the sheer neglect and lack of investment from successive Conservative Governments.
"Right across the West Midlands, when hospitals haven't been able to admit patients, it was Ambulance workers that had to step in.
"When staffing levels were at crisis levels, it was Ambulance workers that took on extra hours to keep the service going.
"They deserve better than 12 years of attacks to their pay. They deserve a pay rise that redresses the balance.
"GMB Union members in WMAS want to be out on the streets trying to save lives.
"They shouldn't have to be worrying about feeding their own families. It’s a national disgrace.
"The responsibility for the first ambulance strike in 40 years sits squarely with the Conservative Government.
"It's down to them to step up and pay Ambulance workers a decent wage."
