NHS strikes: East of England ambulance staff to walk out

The East of England Ambulance Service covers the six counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire (including Peterborough), Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk

Staff at one of the UK's largest ambulance services have voted in favour of strike action in a dispute over pay.

The GMB union said of its members at the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) who took part in a ballot, 86% said yes to the move.

It is the first time in the most recent round of industrial action nationwide that EEAST staff have voted to strike.

An EEAST spokesperson said the trust understood "the strength of feeling" on the issue of pay.

A date for the strike action has yet to be decided.

'Shrug off'

GMB regional organiser Gavin Davies said the union had "hard working members that simply can't afford to live".

He said: "Our members are even having to go to food banks to feed families.

"We have asked the government to look at the pay but they just shrug it off and say there is no money. Our members can't afford to continually take hits with rising energy, interest rates and cost of living."

Ten thousand ambulance workers from the GMB union went on strike across the country in January, but not in the East

The GMB said of just under 1,000 members at the trust who were eligible to vote in the ballot, 55.72% did so this time.

Unison, which has the most members within the trust, is due to ballot its members on 16 February.

It failed to win a ballot among EEAST staff in December but said the result was affected by postal strikes.

EEAST has 4,000 staff and 800 volunteers, according to the most recent Care Quality Commission report.

It covers one of the largest regions of any UK ambulance service, looking after a population of roughly 6.2 million in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

EEAST was the last remaining trust in England and Wales not to have been affected by strike action.

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An EEAST spokesman said: "We understand the strength of feeling behind the concerns colleagues have around this issue and we are committed to working with our unions to improve working lives at our service."

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has pointed to warnings from the Bank of England against pay increases.

"I have held constructive talks with the trade unions on pay and affordability and continue to urge them to call off the strikes," he said.

"It is time for the trade unions to look forward and engage in a constructive dialogue."