North East Ambulance Service staff face strike ballot over pay

The GMB union says ambulance workers are facing a "massive real-terms pay cut"

Hundreds of ambulance service workers are being balloted for strike action in a row over their pay.

The GMB union said North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) members, including paramedics, will vote after almost 90% backed a walk out in a consultation.

It added they were "angry" over a pay rise of 4% set by the government.

NEAS said if industrial action was taken, "we will work together with our trade union colleagues to keep critical services running".

GMB organiser Michael Hunt said: "Ambulance workers should not be worrying about having to choose between eating or heating this winter."

Emergency workers from the service currently feature in the BBC One documentary Ambulance.

Ballot dates will be announced in the coming days, the union said.

A formal strike ballot has also been announced involving almost 1,500 members at Yorkshire Ambulance Service. 

'Impacts on patients'

"North East Ambulance Service is in disarray; it can only keep going thanks to the good will of the overworked and undervalued crews," Mr Hunt added. 

"But good will only goes so far." 

North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) director of people Karen O'Brien said: "Although NHS pay is set nationally, and is therefore outside of our control, we recognise this is a very difficult time for everyone right now, including our colleagues.

"We value the contribution of all our colleagues who, regardless of where they work within our organisation, work incredibly hard every day to keep our patients safe.

"We understand their concerns around feeling overworked, and are confident that this feeling should start to ease following significant additional investment in our service, which is being spent on recruiting more people to join our teams."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said industrial action was a "matter for unions and we urge them to carefully consider the potential impacts on patients".

The spokesperson added the government valued the "hard work of NHS staff" and had given more than "one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year".