Paramedic staff start dispute over fears for service

AMBULANCE staff in the north of Scotland have started an official dispute with management over the service provided to the public.

Members of the Unite union have raised concerns over a lack of ambulances to respond to 999 calls, staff regularly working over scheduled hours and fatigue among workers.

It is also claimed that emergency cover in Aberdeen has led to crews being shifted from other areas of the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) north division, creating shortage of cover in rural areas.

Workers including paramedics, ambulance technicians, drivers and call-centre staff have now voted to start an official dispute over their concerns.

Unite said 95 per cent of members balloted said they have no confidence in the north divisional management of SAS North.

The union’s regional officer, Tommy Campbell, said: “Every time we have raised these issues, and every time that a serious incident has been reported in the media, the management of the service have come up with words and spin.

“But our members see these problems every day. They want to deliver a safe, appropriate service to the public across the whole of the north of Scotland, but they have lost confidence in the ability of management to support them.

“We will now raise these concerns through the official disputes procedure. No-one involved in patient care wants to take industrial action, but our members now demand that the ambulance service management start replacing words with action.

“We will now seek a meeting with the SAS senior management and HR personnel to try and resolve the serious concerns and grievances of our members in order to avoid a trades dispute.”