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Ambulance workers to strike again tomorrow

Ambulance workers in Yorkshire plan to walk out again tomorrow in a row over shift changes which they say could affect public safety.

Staff walked out at midnight on Friday for a 24-hour strike.

They will strike from 3pm tomorrow for 4 hours.

The chief executive of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust has condemned the latest actions of the workers union, Unite, as 'reckless' and 'neglectful' of patient care.

Unite claim some paramedics could work for 10 hours without a meal break under new longer shift patterns.

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Ambulance workers' strike

Union: 'Shift changes could affect workers' ability to help people in distress'

The union which represents ambulance workers in Yorkshire says plans to change shifts could affect patient safety.

Workers across the county walked out at midnight for a 24 hour strike.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust refutes the claims made by Unite.

Our members, who are doing their best for the Yorkshire public in very difficult circumstances, have been under sustained attack by the trust's hardline management for more than a year.

The latest erosion in their employment conditions is the demand to work elongated shifts, which could mean them working more than 10 hours on the trot before managers deign to give them a meal break. This could affect their ability to do their jobs - helping people in distress.

I think the people of Yorkshire will find that this is completely unacceptable.

– Unite officer Terry Cunliffe
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Ambulance workers' strike

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Health chief accuses union of 'neglecting patient care' over ambulance strikes

The chief executive of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said the industrial action would affect services, involving around 8% of its staff.

He refuted claims by the workers' union, Unite, that changes in shift patterns would affect patient safety.

I would like to reiterate that I remain deeply concerned over this type of action - which I know is of concern to all of our A&E staff, who are very committed to patient care - and will place many of them in a very difficult situation.

Our focus is on safeguarding patient care, and we are committed to minimising the level of disruption to our services.

Industrial action in this form is certainly not in the best interests of patients, and it is deeply concerning for a trade union representing ambulance service workers to strike without making any concessions to patient safety.

– Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust chief executive David Whiting

Mr Whiting added the service will take steps to 'maintain operational cover' during the strikes, and will 'continue to make every effort to get to patients as quickly as possible whilst maintaining high standards of patient care.'

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Ambulance workers' strike

Ambulance workers on strike in Yorkshire

A picket line during a previous strike by Yorkshire Ambulance Service workers in April 2013. Credit: Lynne Cameron/PA Wire

Ambulance workers are on strike after claiming a change in shift patterns will put patients' safety at risk.

Members of the Unite union in Yorkshire walked out for 24 hours at midnight, and will do so again for four hours from 3pm on Monday.

They claim some paramedics could work for 10 hours without a meal break under new longer shift patterns.

A health chief has attacked the strikes as "reckless", but the union said the changes will impact on patient safety and is calling for a 30-minute meal break every six hours.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said the industrial action would affect services, involving around 8% of its staff.

The trust, which is to stop recognising Unite for collective bargaining, receives an average of 2,100 emergency calls a day.

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Ambulance workers' strike
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Ambulance staff strike over new emergency care workers row

Five hundred ambulance workers have joined picket lines across Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire for a 12 hour walk out.

Members of the Unite Union are taking action because they say the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust are risking patient safety, by allowing new emergency care assistants to work with paramedics after only six weeks training.

Over the next five years the trust has to cut their budget by forty six million pounds. They say they'd like to reassure the public that the level of disruption will be minimal during industrial action.

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Ambulance workers on strike
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Union calls on Yorkshire Ambulance Service to enter 'meaningful talks'

Our members are increasingly concerned about patient safety because of the downgrading of the current skill level on NHS frontline vehicles in Yorkshire. We call yet again on the blinkered, hardline management at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust to enter into meaningful talks with Unite. The continuing refusal of the management to discuss patient safety - which led to the de-recognition of the union - has left our members with no option but to take further industrial action."

– Terry Cunliffe, Unite regional officer
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Ambulance workers on strike

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Yorkshire Ambulance workers prepare for strike

Union members also staged a strike in April

Yorkshire Ambulance workers are staging a fresh strike in a row over spending cuts. Members of Unite will walk out for 12 hours from midday with a further stoppage planned for June 22 if the dispute remains deadlocked.

The row centres on plans by Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust to make savings of £46 million over the next five years.

Unite, which has 500 members at the trust, said ambulance workloads were increasing by up to 6% every month.

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Ambulance workers on strike

Ambulance workers vote for strike action

Ambulance workers are to stage a 24-hour strike in a long-running row over issues including cuts.

Unite said its 450 members in the Yorkshire service, including paramedics and other staff, will walk out on 2 April and ban overtime from 26 March.

The union warned that further strikes could be held.

Unite said the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust had derecognised the union after it raised concerns about patient safety over plans to make £46 million of savings over the next five years.

Union members voted by 61% in favour of strikes and 83% for other forms of industrial action.

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Ambulance workers to strike
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Yorkshire ambulance workers vote in favour of strike action

Yorkshire ambulance workers have voted to hold a one day strike on Tuesday 2nd April. Members of the Unite union will work out because of a dispute over cost cutting measures which could see assistants with only six weeks training brought in to work with paramedics.

Union members also voted in favour of implementing a continuous overtime ban from 26th March.

Unite calls for the management to open constructive negotiations in the run-up to 2 April. This is a final window of opportunity for the trust to resolve this situation for the benefit of the Yorkshire public. The management has been trying to silence Unite after it raised legitimate concerns over patient safety that could flow from the shake-up of ambulance services in the next five years.

Now our members have voted for strike action on 2 April and for a continuous overtime ban from 26 March. It shows the depth of concern that our members feel about patient safety because of the £46 million of savings that managers want to implement. The hardline management has responded by derecognising Unite and twice rejecting our attempts to take this dispute to Acas and to discuss the implications of industrial action.”

– Terry Cunliffe, Unite regional officer
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