Paramedics keeping warm on the picket line

Paramedics on the picket line

Today was the first major strike for ambulance workers in 30 years. HOT’s Erica Smith visited the picket line in Bohemia Road to meet some of the paramedics and find out why they are striking.

At 8am this morning, the picket line was clearly visible with about 20 paramedics huddling around two braziers and the street was alive with the sound of car horns as passing drivers showed their support.

The GMB (General & Municipal Union) representative Crawford Paton said that this was the first time that most of the paramedics had been on strike. From speaking to the ambulance workers on the picket line, it was clear that pay was far from the only reason why they were striking. Crawford pointed out statistics from a recent survey of his union’s members:

• A third of ambulance workers have been involved with cases where a patient’s death was linked to delay
• 85% of ambulance workers have witnessed delays which have seriously affected a patient’s recovery
• 82% feel the current pressure puts them at an unacceptable level of stress
• 72% of ambulance workers have considered leaving the service.

I spoke to Imogen (on the right of the photograph), a paramedic who has been with the ambulance service for several years. She said that assistant paramedics start on £11 per hour – that’s for working shifts. She has studied for six years to reach her current grade, but she is well aware that her earnings don’t compensate for the level of stress that she and her colleagues are under. “None of us here work for the money alone. We do it because we care about people.”

I asked one of the paramedics why she had scissors in her special pocket on her arm… to cut clothes away of course. These essential workers are striking to send out an important message… they are the ones who see the connections between – and the erosion of – all the different areas of our NHS.

They are now under so much pressure because people now call an ambulance when they can’t get through to their GP or receive the support they need from social services. Meanwhile, the hospitals are so full that they sometimes are left waiting with the patient in the ambulance and can’t go on to the next emergency.

These essential workers do their jobs because they are driven to help people in distress. But salaries start at £11 an hour – for saving lives! Training takes six years. 72% are currently considering leaving the ambulance service because of the stress, the erosion of NHS infrastructure and the low salaries compared with other career options.

At noon there was a demonstration of support by fellow trade unionists. Around 100 people gathered on the picket line, despite the wet and cold. Local resident Ann Kramer said:  “All essential workers showed support for each other in the fight not just for fair pay but also for working conditions and the very existence of our public services, which have been decimated by the Tories.”

Unless a settlement is reached, there will be another day of action next Wednesday, 28 December. You can show your support by contributing to the strike fund by following this link.

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