Yorkshire ambulance workers to strike over pay row

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said experienced staff were "leaving the NHS in droves".

Ambulance workers in Yorkshire are to strike next month in an ongoing pay dispute, a union has said.

Unite members at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS), including paramedics and call handlers, will strike on 2 June.

The union's general secretary Sharon Graham said the walkout would put pressure on the government to reopen pay negotiations.

A spokesperson for YAS said about 360 workers could be directly affected.

Members voted last month to reject the government's pay offer, which Ms Graham said did not address the "fundamental problems undermining the NHS".

"Workers have suffered real-terms pay cuts for over a decade and can no longer afford to make ends meet, resulting in experienced staff leaving the NHS in droves."

The strike is set to take place between 14:00 BST and 22:00 BST, the union confirmed.

Unite is the smallest of the three unions which represent ambulance workers, alongside Unison and the GMB.

Its national lead officer, Onay Kasab, said: "Our members are entirely committed to their jobs, but can no longer stand idly by as they watch the NHS crumble around them, which is placing patients in danger on a daily basis."

YAS has not further commented on the strike plans.