NHS ambulance workers begin to vote on strike in pay dispute

More than 15,000 ambulance workers across 11 trusts in England and Wales have started voting on potential strike action in a dispute over pay.

The GMB union said workers were angry at a pay award of 4% which it described as a "massive real terms pay cut".

Emergency callouts would not be affected by any action, it added.

The government, which said it had given pay rises to more than a million workers, is urging ambulance staff to consider the impact on patients.

GMB acting national secretary Rachel Harrison said: "Ambulance workers don't do this lightly. This would be the biggest ambulance strike for 30 years.

"After more than 10 years of pay cuts, plus the cost-of-living crisis, workers can't make ends meet. They are desperate".

NHS workers in other unions, including nurses, are also being asked if they want to take strike action over pay.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it valued the "hard work" of NHS staff and had given more than one million workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year.

A spokesman said: "Industrial action is a matter for unions, and we urge them to carefully consider the potential impacts on patients."

Ambulance workers from the following trusts are taking part in the vote, which closes on 29 November:

The DHSC said NHS England would work with providers, professional bodies and trade unions to agree the safe level of cover during any industrial action.