Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said:
“GMB’s ambulance workers are angry. In their own words ‘they are done’.
„Our message to the Government is clear – talk pay now.
“Ministers have made things worse by demonising the ambulance workers who provided life and limb cover on strike days – playing political games with their scaremongering.
“The only way to solve this dispute is a proper pay offer.
GMB Union has reps in thousands of workplaces across the country and offices in every region and nation. GMB’s National Office is based in London, at Mary Turner House, 22 Stephenson Way, London, NW1 2HD.
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A meeting held this morning with Health Secretary Stephen Barclay was described as „constructive“ by one doctors‘ union leader. But Professor Philip Banfield, chair of council at the British Medical Association (BMA), said there was no mention of one-off payments for NHS staff.
„People can‘t get appointments anymore so they put off going to the doctor and when it gets worse they come to us,“ he says.
He and colleagues are also struggling with the cost of living, Mr Mistry say.
„I‘m now having to think about how much heating I have on in the house – I have it on for two hours a day now.“
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of Britain’s armed forces, said it would be “slightly perilous” to expect them to be used routinely in the event of strikes by public sector workers.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Radakin said the use of armed forces to provide cover for striking workers would not impede operations, but suggested personnel should be allowed to get on with their day-to-day jobs.
The co-ordinated walkout was called by the three main ambulance unions – Unison, GMB and Unite.
All three are taking action on 21 December. GMB union members will go on strike again on 28 December.
Meanwhile, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members are due to walk out for a second time on 20 December in parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, following action on 15 December.
The Unite general secretary has been issued the unprecedented invite to No10 as the Prime Minister desperately tries to win support for her deal.
A union source said GMB leader Tim Roache and UNISON‘s Dave Prentis had also been invited for one-on-one talks on Thursday.