The strike, which was called after the workers rejected the government’s pay offer, will affect ambulance services in South Central Ambulance Trust, South East Coast Ambulance Trust, West Midlands Ambulance Trust, as well as The Christie cancer service in Manchester, and hospitals in Birmingham and Lancashire. The strike will take place on Tuesday 2 May, and will coincide with nurses across parts of England walking out at the same time.
Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham said that the government’s pay offer was “not good enough” for her members, and that the union had been “up front and honest” that it did not believe the offer was adequate. The government, however, described the decision as “premature and unreasonable”, as several members were still voting on its latest pay offer. The offer covers all NHS staff except doctors, and includes a 5% pay rise for 2023-24 and a one-off payment of at least £1,655 to top up last year’s salary.
