UK ambulance workers stage fresh strikes over long-running pay disputes

Thousands of UK ambulance workers are taking industrial action in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions as the county’s cost-of-living crisis puts further pressure on British National Health Service (NHS).

Up to 15,000 ambulance staff belonging to three unions of GMB, Unison, and Unite are striking across England and Wales on Monday for the third time in five weeks.

UK Health Secretary Steve Barclay has warned that further strike action by ambulance workers this week is “hugely disappointing” and will “inevitably” cause disruption to the healthcare system.

“It is hugely disappointing some ambulance workers are continuing to take industrial action... there will inevitably be further disruption,” Barclay said.

UK strikes set to continue after government officials' talks with labor unions fail to resolve payment dispute

The UK is set to witness more industrial actions by the country’s labor forces after meetings between ministers and trade unions failed to address the dispute.

The development comes as additional strikes are planned for the coming weeks by nurses and other health staff, as they seek payment raises to keep pace with the soaring inflation, which stands at a record-high rate of about 11 percent.

The wave of paralyzing strikes took place after the workers’ pay demands were rejected by the government, which says it cannot afford high increases that match the soaring inflation, and even if it could, such monetary increases would further fuel inflation.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said a “double-digit pay rise” must be offered to striking NHS staff, but described the Government as willing to “talk about anything, but they won’t talk about pay”.

“The public is supporting that pay rise as we can see from surveys, and we’ve got the employer, in this instance the Government, who will talk about anything, but they won’t talk about pay,” Graham said.

Paralyzing strikes across UK NHS make workloads ‘more challenging’, health chief warns

The wave of ongoing strikes by the UK health staff has made the workloads “more challenging”, NHS chief has warned.

She described Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as being “missing in action” and called on him to “privatize the NHS” regarding the government’s incompetence in terms of negotiating or solving the pay dispute.

Meanwhile, Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said the solution is “simple” but “most ministers look like they’d rather dig in and do nothing instead of boost pay”.

“The solution to the growing NHS crisis is staring the Government in the face. It’s simple, all the Chancellor needs to do is find the money to pay health workers fairly,” McAnea said, accusing Chancellor Jeremy Hunt of “blocking progress”.

“It’s strange that it’s the Chancellor blocking progress. Jeremy Hunt knows the NHS better than anyone in the Cabinet,” she added.

Speaking to broadcasters during a hospital visit last week, Barclay appeared to rule out a 10 percent pay rise for nurses, insisting it was “not affordable”.

“Well 10 percent is not affordable, it would be an extra £3.6 billion a year and obviously that would take money away from patient services, essential services that we need to invest in given the backlogs from the pandemic,” he said.

UK government ministers meet union leaders in bid to end paralyzing wave of strikes

UK government ministers are meeting with leaders of labor unions in a last-ditch effort to end the long-running strikes.

During the past months, the UK has been grappling with its biggest strike wave for decades, with airport baggage handlers, border staff, driving instructors, bus drivers, and postal workers walking off their jobs to demand higher pay, to be able to cope with the soaring inflation and worsening cost-of-living crisis.

As a far-fetched solution to the dispute, the government is set to unveil strike legislation in the near future in order to contain industrial actions in its key sectors, forcing the staff to maintain a basic level of service during strike time or face dismissal.

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