Action will carry on after region's ambulance and some hospital staff reject new NHS pay deal

This means strikes are set to continue at West Midlands Ambulance Service and at Sandwell Hospital and other service run by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust.

Paramedics based at Dudley Ambulance Hub on Burton Road were among those joining colleagues across the country on strike on Tuesday.

Meanwhile more than a million other NHS workers in England are to be given a five per cent pay rise this year and a cash sum for last year after ministers and their unions agreed a new pay deal.

The majority of unions representing staff on the Agenda for Change contract – which includes all NHS workers apart from doctors, dentists and senior managers – voted in favour of the offer.

The 14 unions representing staff on the contract have balloted hundreds of thousands members over the last few weeks. In this region 75 per cent of ambulance staff voted against the deal.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s NHS members have spoken and they rejected the deal. Because of this, Unite used its seats on the staff council to also vote against it.

"In fact, we will be escalating strike action. The staff council vote is not binding on individual unions and therefore the vote will not stop Unite representing the best interests of our members.

“The current offer will not solve the huge issues surrounding under-staffing that are destroying the NHS and Unite’s members have their union’s absolute backing in fighting against it. It now time for the government to reopen negotiations. The prime minister needs to stop hiding, step in and solve this dispute.”

Unite Representative for West Midlands Ambulance Service Jason Kirkham said he was disappointed that the ambulance workers were back out on strike and said he felt the offer from the government wasn't sufficient.

He said: "They've offered a non-consolidated lump sump and five per cent moving forward for 23/24, which falls well below the current inflation levels that we're seeing.

"Nobody wants to strike, especially staff in the NHS as it's the last thing we want to do, but it's the only thing that the government seems to listen to at the moment.

"The response from the public has been really strong, with lots of noise, and we've had donations given to us to keep our spirits high.

"What we want the impact of these strikes to be is for the government to come back and re-negotiate a deal that is in line with inflation and gives the NHS staff what they deserve."

A member of staff at the protest, who wanted to remain anonymous, spoke of the effect that inflation was having on him.

He said: "I'm going to shops right now and seeing a pot of gravy has gone up from £1.50 to around £4, which is just ridiculous. I'm out here to try and get a fair pay rise and support my colleagues."

Unison the biggest health sector union along with GMB, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists and the Royal College of Midwives were among those who voted to accept the offer while Royal College of Nursing and Unite voted against it.

Union GMB said 56 per cent of those who voted accepted the new terms. GMB National Secretary Rachel Harrison, said: "We now need action for our ambulance members - starting by addressing their retirement and unsocial hours enhancements concerns. Today is just one step in the battle to restore NHS workers’ decade of lost earnings. We will continue this fight."

"This new pay offer would not have happened without the strike action taken by ambulance and other GMB health workers. Members have voted to accept the offer, which means we will vote in favour of the pay offer at the NHS joint staff council meeting next week.

"Our members recognise that progress has been made - from the Government originally offering nothing, health workers will be thousands of pounds better off. It also meets our key demand of a huge pay uplift for the lowest paid, lifting them above the Real Living Wage."

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “I’m pleased the NHS Staff Council has voted to accept our pay offer, demonstrating that a majority of NHS staff agree this is a fair and reasonable deal."