Britain: New strike by ambulance workers

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It is the third strike in five weeks for ambulance workers in the public health system

British ambulance crews are staging a new strike today to demand a pay rise to tackle inflation in a UK where social unrest does not appear to be abating in the face of government inflexibility.

It is the third strike in five weeks for ambulance workers in the public health system, the NHS, with nurses already holding two days of strike action last week following unprecedented action in December.

Social discontent is spreading across many sectors in the UK, where inflation is reaching 10.5% according to the latest figures. But the health sector, chronically underfunded and understaffed, is particularly hard hit. A new day of mass mobilization has been declared for February 6, while the government is promoting a law to provide basic services in the event of a strike in many sectors, including health and transport.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay, in a statement last night, described the strike action by ambulance staff as “particularly disappointing” and highlighted the emergency measures that have been put in place to protect patient safety.

“There hasn’t been the slightest proposal in five weeks,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, calling on British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to negotiate as she said the health secretary did not have the “power” to complete a deal.

While Steve Barclay speaks of “constructive discussions” with unions over next year’s pay (2023/2024), a union official has warned that the strikers will be “out there” until the government decides to negotiate on the current year. “They are people who were there during the pandemic when there was no vaccine,” when “people were dying, NHS workers were dying,” she told Sky News. He hopes, however, that the day of the strike on February 6, “a sad day for the NHS”, can be avoided.

“The government has the ability to call the general secretaries” of the unions “it doesn’t matter when, we will be there” she said, stressing that health workers will ensure the safety of patients.

“Five hundred people die every week waiting for an ambulance in the world’s fifth-richest economy,” she said, citing an estimate by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, “an absolute national disgrace.”

RES-EMP

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