GMB Union: 1,500 Wales ambulance workers to join mass strike on February 20

Around 1,500 Welsh ambulance workers will strike with 10,000 GMB members in England on February 20, after rejecting a new pay offer from the Welsh government.

The offer amounted to an average 5.5% pay rise and a one-off bonus of 1.5%.

Almost two-thirds of the union’s members turned down the deal.

The Welsh government had added 3% to the existing pay deal, only half of which would be consolidated into next year’s negotiations, meaning that members would lose 1.5% of their pay for next year’s talks.

The ambulance workers have called for a UK-wide solution to the problem of low pay in the NHS and ambulance services.

Nathan Holman, GMB Welsh NHS lead, thanked the Welsh government for entering talks but said that the pay offer was too low for union members.

He called on Steve Barclay, the UK Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, to talk pay, saying that ambulance workers across England and Wales were waiting.

The 1,500 Wales ambulance workers will now join their English counterparts, who are members of the GMB union, on strike on February 20.

This latest development is likely to cause further disruption to ambulance services, which are already under pressure due to staff shortages and rising demand.

The GMB has previously warned that the UK’s ambulance service is “on its knees”.

The union has called for fair pay for ambulance workers and improved working conditions, including better rest breaks and meal allowances.

The ambulance service has been under increasing huge strain, with demand for its services rising faster than its capacity to cope.