Striking 999 staff ‘must provide basic service’

FRONTLINE workers should have to provide minimum levels of service during strikes, a majority of the public believe.

Six out of 10 (61 per cent) say unions representing staff in the ambulance, rail and fire sectors should be forced to guarantee basic services.

The polling comes as Health Secretary Steve Barclay issued a new plea for this week’s planned strikes to be scrapped.

Thousands of nurses and ambulance workers are due to strike tomorrow. Nurses from the Royal College of Nursing will walk out alongside GMB and Unite paramedics, call handlers and other staff at ambulance trusts. Nurses will strike again on Tuesday, ambulance workers on Friday and physiotherapists on Thursday.

The polling by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that although the public wants minimum standards of service guaranteed, they do not want workers who refuse to provide this to be sacked.

Only 29 per cent wanted workers to lose their jobs, while 47 per cent did not.

Mr Barclay said: “It is regrettable that health unions are going ahead with strike action.

“NHS contingency plans are in place but these co-ordinated strikes will undoubtedly have an impact on patients and cause delays to NHS services. I have been having constructive talks with unions... and urge them to call off the strikes and come back around the table.”

The Government is pushing legislation through Parliament to enforce minimum service levels during strikes in areas including the NHS, transport, fire and rescue, and education.

Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “The irony is that the Government is introducing minimum levels when there is unsafe staffing on non-strike days.

“The Bill is a distraction from the real issues at the heart of our ongoing pay dispute.”