Staff who work in patient transfer ambulances for the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over their employers’ failure to pay backpay.
Parked up: non-emergency ambulances working at St Helier could be affected by strikes
The GMB union, which represents the workers, has warned that the Trust faces “severe disruption” to appointments and treatments.
Ambulance care assistants who are GMB members voted 93% in favour of taking action, on a turnout of nearly 80 per cent.
The dispute centres around backpay owed on the London Living Wage, with the GMB claiming that some members are owed up to £1,300.
“A strike committee has been formed, with strike dates to be set over the coming weeks,” the GMB announced this morning.
“Our members carry out vital work for the community as they escort patients to life saving treatments,” a GMB spokesperson said.
“Ambulance staff care deeply about their patients and none of them want to strike, but they have been forced into this situation by Epsom and St Helier NHS who are inexplicably withholding wages owed to these staff.
“Any strike action is likely to cause severe disruption to patient appointments and treatments.
“GMB has made every effort to resolve this dispute in talks, but our efforts have fallen on deaf ears and nothing is being done to address this wage theft.
“Mistreating and demoralising NHS workers has a devastating impact on patient care so we are calling on the trust to respect these valuable workers and pay up now.”
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