West Midlands Ambulance Service staff take to picket line in pay row

Unite union members gathered at the West Midlands Ambulance Service headquarters in Erdington to strike over pay and safe staffing levels

About 1,000 ambulance workers have taken part in a strike in an ongoing dispute over pay and safe staffing levels in the NHS.

Unite union members took to the picket line at the West Midlands Ambulance Services hub in Erdington on Monday.

The government reached a pay settlement with one million health workers in May, including with GMB and Unison members, but it was not backed by Unite.

The deal sees staff get a 5% pay rise plus a one-off sum of at least £1,655.

Mick Hooper, a Unite representative, has worked as a paramedic for 34 years.

Mick Hooper has worked as a paramedic for more than three decades

He told BBC WM: "In the ambulance service we have a lot of trouble retaining staff on all levels, from cleaners to the staff that restock the ambulances.

"People join the NHS because they want to serve our country in a public format but there comes a point where it is no longer sustainable for them and their families.

"Interest rates are at an all-time high, it's difficult for younger staff to get mortgages and at some point you have to think about whether you stay doing the job you love or go and do it in a private forum where you can earn more money.

"There never is a right day to strike but we need to take action."

Union members at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service will also walk out on 23 and 26 June.

City Hospital staff in Birmingham are also set to take part in industrial action on Wednesday, which coincides with the British Medical Association junior doctors' strike.

Union members at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service will also walk out on 23 and 26 June.

The government has previously said the demands were unaffordable.