UK ambulance workers walk out and join strike wave

The industrial action by paramedics, drivers and call operators was the latest in a wave of strikes in recent months that paralyzed the country’s rail network for days and strained Britain’s overstretched public health system. Health officials warned that the impact of Wednesday’s strike will be worse than December’s because more staff are being removed, including those who handle calls.

People have been advised to call in cases of life-threatening emergencies, such as cardiac arrest or a serious traffic accident, and ambulances will continue to respond to such situations.

But less urgent cases will not be prioritized and some people will have to get to hospitals on their own. Union leaders say some of the lowest-paid public health workers, including call handlers and drivers, are close to falling below the national minimum wage.

“When people accuse us of putting the public at risk, I would say that it is this government that has put the public at risk by consistently refusing to talk to us. There are no offers on the table,” Christina McAnea, general secretary of the UNISON union, told striking workers outside an ambulance station in Sheffield, northern England.

Dozens of other workers, including nurses, train and bus drivers and postal workers, have joined a wave of strikes — the biggest in decades in Britain — in recent months to demand better wages as inflation soars. to the highest levels the UK has seen since the early 1980s. Inflation rose to 11.1% in October, before dipping slightly to 10.7% in November.

Wages, especially in the public sector, have not kept pace with the skyrocketing cost of living. The strike comes at a time of great tension for the UK’s National Health Service, which has reported record demand for urgent and emergency care services this winter.

Government officials met with union leaders on Monday, but there was no progress in negotiations.