Ambulance Strikes in England Called Off as Unions Enter Pay Talks With Government

Ambulances parked during a strike outside Waterloo ambulance station, London, on Dec. 21, 2022. Kirsty O'Connor/PA Media

The Unite union has called off planned ambulance strikes in England in order to enter pay talks with the UK government.

Union members at ambulance trusts in the West Midlands, northwest, south central, south coastal, and East Midlands had planned to strike on Monday. But the Unite union paused the strike action on Sunday afternoon.

Unite Head of Operations Gail Cartmail said: “Following further assurances from the government over the weekend, Unite has in good faith agreed to pause the strike action.”

But she said the strikes will resume if the government fails to meet the assurances.

It comes after Unison and GMB unions cancelled industrial action which would have involved tens of thousands of workers in the National Health Service (NHS).

Unison and GMB made the decision after the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said money was available for potential pay rises covering this year and next.

Some 32,000 NHS workers would have been involved in planned Unison strikes—including 24,500 ambulance staff—while 13,000 ambulance workers were part of the GMB action.

‘Fair and Reasonable Settlement’

The government welcomed the unions’ decision.

A DHSC spokesperson said: “We’re pleased that unions representing the majority of ambulance workers, nurses, physiotherapists, porters, cleaners, and other non-medical staff have agreed to pause strikes and enter a process of intensive talks.

“We want to find a fair and reasonable settlement that recognises the vital role of NHS workers, the wider economic pressures facing the UK, and the prime minister’s priority to halve inflation.”

Following the health unions’ decision to halt industrial action, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan urged the National Education Union (NEU) to suspend teachers’ strikes and negotiate with the government.

She said that the health unions have paused strike action “to start intensive talks with the government.”

“We’ve made the same offer to the NEU to discuss all areas of their dispute. In the interest of children & teachers I once again urge the NEU to come to the table,” she wrote on Twitter.

Firefighters Set to Accept Deal

In another sign that the wave of industrial action is receding, firefighters are expected to accept a pay offer later on Monday.

A revised offer was made in February to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) of a 7 percent pay rise backdated to last July and a further 5 percent from July this year.

The union’s executive has recommended that members vote to accept the offer in a ballot which opened on Feb. 20 and closes on Monday.

FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack told the BBC: “It’s a step forward but it would not be the end of our campaigning on pay. We think there is significant under-investment in the fire service and that needs to be addressed.”

Railway Unions

There have also been movements in the railway sector.

In late February, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) said its 3,000 members voted overwhelmingly in favour of deals which include a two-year pay rise worth 9 percent.

The union said it had won an improved deal on pay, as well as commitments on job security and full consultation over any possible changes to terms and conditions, following months of industrial unrest.

On Monday, Transport Secretary Mark Harper asked the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) to let members consider the “good” pay offer on the table.

He said: “I was very pleased that the members of the TSSA, one of the rail unions, accepted the offers from both the train operating companies and Network Rail. That’s good to see, they are fair and reasonable offers that have been delivered. They’re the best and final offers.

“I would urge the RMT to put the offers that they’ve had to their members and let their members make the decision, and I think they’re good offers. And I think that their members ought to accept them and I hope the rail union RMT reconsiders their decision not even to put those offers to their members.

“And if we get those offers delivered, we can all work together to deliver a better railway for passengers.”

Hospital Consultants to be Balloted

Despite the positive developments, it is not the end to the government’s troubles when it comes to labour relations.

Junior doctors in England are still set to stage a 72-hour walkout next week, and Unison members working for the Care Quality Commission announced they are to take strike action over pay.

Meanwhile, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced on Monday that it will ballot consultants over potential strike action in April.

Strike action by consultants will mean consultants will run a “bank holiday” service on weekdays ensuring that emergency or urgent care remains in place, the union added.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said BMA’s decision is “concerning.”

“While it is positive that the other trade unions have agreed to suspend their planned industrial action to enter negotiations with the government, it is important for all parts of the NHS’s workforce to have the same opportunity to have their concerns around pay understood.

“The danger of not doing this is that the war of attrition between both sides will continue and escalate further, which no-one wants.”

PA Media contributed to this report.