Ambulance staff to vote on strike over pay

Ambulance workers in Scarborough are set to vote on whether to take strike action in a dispute over pay.

The GMB Union said a consultative ballot of almost 1,500 members at Yorkshire Ambulance Service showed 90 per cent were in favour of industrial action.

The union said the mandate was the “largest ever seen” and had “made history” with ambulance staff “angry” at the Government’s four per cent pay rise – which has left many “facing yet another massive real terms pay cut”.

Deanne Ferguson, GMB organiser, said paramedics and operational staff had “had enough”. The dates for a formal strike ballot will be announced “in the coming days”, the union announced.

Ms Ferguson added: “Ambulance staff should not be worrying about how they’ll heat their homes this winter or feed their families, whilst carrying out a crucial service across our communities.

“The service is crumbling, and it is having an impact on everyone - it is only surviving because of the amazing workers holding it together, through good will.”

In August, The Scarborough News reported that ambulance services in Yorkshire were failing to hit critical response time targets, with paramedics taking an average of 43 minutes to reach patients with category 2 emergencies, such as strokes – far below the 18-minute target.

At the time, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said it was experiencing high levels of demand for its services. Last month, plans were approved to lift a restrictive covenant on land near Scarborough Hospital, which is likely to allow the development of a new ambulance station.