In the face of a strike by ambulance drivers in Britain, Health Secretary Steve Barclay made serious accusations against unions on Wednesday. A conscious decision was made to “harm patients because not all emergency calls should be covered”.
The unions have criticized the Conservative politician’s statements as “misleading” and “in the worst cases, deliberate scare tactics”. In total, some 25,000 ambulance workers in England and Wales walked away on Wednesday. They demand higher wages and better working conditions.
Several hundred soldiers get on, but only for patient transport and not for emergencies. Another strike is planned for December 28. As early as December 15 and 20, tens of thousands of NHS nurses and hospital staff went on strike.
Fronts hardened, argument over money
A final attempt to negotiate with the ambulance drivers failed on Tuesday. Barclay refuses to talk about higher wages than the 4 percent increase offered. UNISON General Secretary Christina McAnea said the government was behaving “completely irresponsibly”. Possible deaths from the strike are Downing Street’s sole fault. The unions are criticizing a sharp fall in real wages in the coming years and are now demanding an increase well above the current inflation rate of around 11 percent.
Source: Krone
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