UK Government and Health Unions Fail to Break Deadlock Over Ambulance Strike

Ambulances are seen parked outside of Aintree University Hospital on December 20, 2022 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Photo Annabel Lee-Ellis/Getty Images

Talks between the UK government and health unions have failed to break the deadlock ahead of a planned strike by paramedics and ambulance workers in England and Wales.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay met union representatives on Tuesday afternoon but their attempt to avert the strike planned for Wednesday appears to have ended in failure.

The unions had called on the government to come up with an improved pay offer for staff of the National Health Service (NHS), but Barclay refused to discuss pay and focused instead on ensuring medical emergencies are covered during the industrial action.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay arrives in Downing Street ahead of a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on Dec. 13, 2022. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

After the meeting, Barclay wrote on Twitter: “I hugely value the work of our NHS staff & it’s disappointing some union members are going ahead with further strike action—my door remains open to further talks. Unions have called for industrial action to cause maximum disruption & inevitably this will have an impact.

“My priority remains patient safety. We have contingency plans in place & I have met with ambulance union reps today urging them to honour their commitment to provide responses to life-threatening emergency calls.”

He said the unions’ pay demands “are unaffordable during these challenging times,” but said he is “open to engaging with unions on how to make the NHS a better place to work.”

Inflation Fears

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted he cannot budge on NHS pay because he does not want to exacerbate soaring inflation.

In his first appearance at the Liaison Committee of the House of Commons, Sunak said he was standing by the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies, which he said had taken into account “forward estimates of inflation.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaving 10 Downing Street, London, to appear for the first time in front of the Commons Liaison Committee of select committee chairs, in the House of Commons, on Dec. 20, 2022. James Manning/PA Media

Addressing those workers contemplating striking during the Christmas period, the prime minister said: “I’ve acknowledged it is difficult, it’s difficult for everybody, because inflation is where it is. And the best way to help them and help everyone else in the country is for us to get a grip and reduce inflation as quickly as possible.

“And we need to make sure that the decisions that we make can bring about that outcome. Because if we get it wrong and we’re still dealing with high inflation in a year’s time, that’s not going to help anybody.

“I don’t want to see that, I want to see things get back to normal, and that’s why having an independent pay process is an important part of us making those decisions and getting them correct.”

‘Entirely Pointless’

The unions said the meeting with the health secretary was “entirely pointless” as the government refused to discuss pay.

In a statement, Onay Kasab, the Unite union’s national lead officer, said: “The meeting was made entirely pointless by the attitude of Stephen Barclay who refused to discuss pay. How he hopes to get movement and resolve the dispute without discussing the key issue is mystifying.”

Kasab said it was “disgraceful that the government is failing to take action to avoid NHS strikes.”

He said Barclay’s call for the unions to respect agreements on emergency cover “was frankly insulting.”

“Not only are they committed to covering emergency calls tomorrow, but our members will immediately leave picket lines if a trust for any reason can’t cope with emergencies,” said Kasab.

Rachel Harrison, from the GMB trade union, said that “life and limb” cover will be provided during the expected ambulance strike.

She told the Health Committee of the House of Commons, “Most agreements have now been signed off and we’re doing our role in communicating to our members what they are and encouraging them to adhere to the exemptions that have been put in place.”

Harrison said that cover will vary by service, but she insisted, “Life and limb cover will be provided.”

“We will do everything within our power to ensure that communities are safe during this action,” she added.

‘Deep Worry’

But NHS leaders have warned they are unable to keep patients safe during strikes.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, and NHS Providers, which collectively represent all NHS organisations, have written to Sunak requesting an end to the deadlock.

The letter to the prime minister said: “With less than 24 hours to go until the ambulance strike, there is deep worry among NHS leaders about the level of harm and risk that could occur to patients tomorrow and beyond.

“We’ve rarely heard such strong and urgent expressions of concern from those running our hospitals, ambulance services and other vital health services. We urge you to do all you can to bring about an agreed solution, otherwise more members of the public will suffer unnecessarily.”

The NHS leaders said they hope their warning could “serve to focus minds in government that a swift resolution to this damaging dispute is needed, and that opening negotiations on pay is the way to achieve that.”

PA Media contributed to this report.