Ambulance strike is disgraceful?

[somethingdifferenttoday]

I just read this on bbc news, "Unions say life-threatening callouts will continue to be responded to over the next 24 hours but some urgent calls, for example for late-stage labour or a fall in the home, might not be answered."

Is it just me who thinks this is disgraceful?

Late stage labour at home or an elderly person laying with a broken hip ARE emergencies! I'm not sure how people in a caring profession can strike knowing these calls will go unanswered.

The unions talk about the backlog, paramedics stuck outside hospitals in ambulances unable to unload and go back out on the road but then admit they are striking for more pay rather than as a protest about that. The average salary of ambulance staff of £47,000 and a 4% pay rise isn't enough they claim but if they are given a pay rise, they will stop striking.

I think they do deserve more money (we all do with inflation) but I can't get past them supposedly being in a caring profession but taking steps that WILL cause extra deaths regardless.

I work in the private sector and have had zero pay rise. If I went on strike nobody would die and I'd be fired. This approach is abusing the critical position of their roles. I hope they are not given a pay rise as it will just demonstrate that blackmail works to other public sector workers and we will have even more strikes.

YABU = I support them striking
YANBU = I agree, it's disgraceful behaviour from a caring profession

YABU

YABU they don't want to f* strike! They have been driven to it as have nurses by this government. Get your head out of your a*!

YABU. Don't blame the people striking. The blame lies with the shit storm of government we have

YABU

YABU

No option to vote but YABU

Your anger is misplaced.

Direct it at the government and ensure you vote labour at the next general.

YABU.

The consequences will be disgraceful. The strike isn't

Yabu

YABVU
Do you not realise that those calls are going unanswered already? They don't want to strike.
Do some fucking research.

YAB completely U. Everyone who is striking isn’t doing it to cause harm, but it’s the only way the govt will listen.

If anyone is disgraceful is the fucking vile Tories who will line their pal’s pockets and ruin our NHS at the same time. Get your priorities straight.

Everyone will say YABU until its their child or elderly parent who dies as a result of not being able to get an ambulance (and I know people this has happened to). Then, its not so easy to say.

Not sure where you got the average salary of 47k from, the majorities of paramedics are band 5 and so significantly less than that.

It's shit being a paramedic. No breaks, abuse, treated poorly by the public, long waits outside A&E. Inability to properly do their job due to system failures

Couldn’t get an ambulance last week for very elderly mother who had had yet another fall. How will we know they are on strike?

Ambulance staff earn nowhere near £47,000.

Well, it is already reported an elderly woman waited 23 hours on the floor for an ambulance the other day when there was no strike.

Anyway, YABU, plus your post is worded very similarly to another which was deleted.

It still wouldn't be the paramedics fault. The fault lies solely with the government.

Exactly. It’s easy to lecture others until people watch their loved ones die. And it will happen.

YABU. I'd want more money for being worked to death the way they are.

@LolaMoon that's kind of the point. Thanks to this shitty government the ambulance service has been in crisis for years now. People having been dying for lack of an ambulance for years. That's what's unreasonable, not this strike.

You do realise that striking workers don’t get paid don’t you? They’re not doing it for fun, or even because they have any other option.

m Honestly I despair.

YABU

Why should people who work in ‘caring’ professions do it for less than those working in eg finance or IT?

Read this article about pay growth lost decade

YABU. They aren't martyrs to their jobs, they still need to pay bills like everyone else. Would you prefer they leave the profession for better pay? That'll leave a lot more calls unanswered and a lot more deaths...

I don’t think the ambulance situation today is much worse than it has been daily for last few months. I’ve called one three times for medical emergencies (I’m a Dr) and they have taken >9hrs each time. Not sure how you expect the staff to raise the flag that the NHS has gone down in flames. Maybe someone will listen now?