Britain: NHS faces prospect of biggest walkout in its history
HEALTH leaders in Britain have expressed “huge concern” as the National Health Service (NHS) faces potentially the biggest day of strike action in its history next month.
Thousands of ambulance workers and nurses are set to strike on the same day in February, as the pay dispute between health workers and the Government shows no signs of reaching a resolution. But the Prime Minister insisted that ministers want “construction dialogue” with unions.
On Wednesday, the GMB union said more than 10,000 ambulance workers - including paramedics, emergency care assistants and call handlers - will stage strikes on February , February 20, March and March 20.
Nurses are also due to strike
on February - meaning mass disruption can be expected across the NHS on that day. Nurses will also strike the following day, February 7. It is the first time both ambulance staff and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have acted on the same day.
The escalation in industrial action comes as thousands of nurses are on strike on Wednesday and Thursday this week at more than 55 NHS trusts in England.
Commenting on the combined strike action, Saffron Cordery,
interim chief executive of the NHS Providers organisation, said: “Trusts have been warning for months that coordinated strikes were a possibility if the government and unions failed to reach an early agreement on this year’s pay award.
“The prospect of ambulance workers and nurses striking on the same day is a huge concern. It could be the biggest day of industrial action the NHS has ever seen. Nobody in the NHS wants more strikes, including staff joining picket lines. Trust leaders understand why overstretched staff have reached this point amid chronic staff shortages and evergrowing demand and pressure.
“We need ministers to get round the table with the unions urgently to deal with the key issue of pay for this financial year, otherwise there is no light at the end of the tunnel.”