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

A majority of Britons support strikes by nurses (66% support to 28% oppose) and ambulance workers (63% support to 31% oppose)

twitter.com/YouGov/status/1605193508742103040?t=JryVah-Wybq-Og_qMaNLKw&s=19

There are plenty of jobs for a professional with a science degree and experience working with people and in highly pressured environment. Same goes for healthcare staff without degrees but with experience as well, its absolutely not the case that it's healthcare job or benefits. The majority of my colleagues who have left actually earn more now than they did working for the nhs.

What are you on about? They can still resign if they hate their jobs and think they can do better elsewhere. But they are currently under an employment contract, they agreed to work a job in return for x pay.

I personally think no one in the NHS should legally be allowed to strike. We couldn’t strike in the armed forces. Air traffic controllers cannot strike.

Some jobs are too essential to allow for strikes.

The benefits alone are better than many other occupations. Full pay for 6 months if off sick then half pay for another 6months (topped up with esa), the pensions, the holiday allowance, the OH support they get.

Honestly they really should try a job in Tescos or any high street shop and see how long they last.

I couldn't sleep at night if I was an nhs worker on strike. Just despicable.

Some jobs are too essential to allow for strikes.

But not essential enough to pay properly? Or even talk to about pay?

Yabu

YABVVVVVVVVVU

If they’re that essential then they should be paid top wack.

So why do we have 100,000 vacant medical roles?

I wouldn't want to live in a country that supports enforced labour.

I'm not sure that making conditions worse for unhappy workers is the brilliant plan to improve the uptake of these jobs that you think it is.

What’s the salary and how would you fund it?

Apparently there aren’t that many as the strikers would have simply left for these awesome better paying, low stress jobs…they wouldn’t have to have a strike that causes people to die in order to get a pay rise.

And it’s normal to earn more now than earlier in any career.

Meh, out of 1.5 million, that’s less than a 10% vacancy rate. It’s not this huge number you think it is.

'I wouldn't want to live in a country that supports enforced labour.'

Enforced labour. Omg they drive ambulances and administer medical care we aren't talking about sweat shops here.

What’s the salary and how would you fund it?

Im not an economist. But who is the most important.? An Ambulance driver or a rich banker? I’d they aren’t paid they will leave. And there’ll be no ambulance drivers.

Where would that leave this semi third world country?

Why? Bin men are essential too. Pay isn’t based on how “essential” your job is, but whether you can legally strike should be.

Have we had the fire service or the police jump on the strike bandwagon? Maybe the bin men too. That'd be nice.

If the essential workers aren’t there then society falls apart. We can survive without coffee shops. We can’t survive without ambulance drivers or bin men.

Or nurses.

I honestly believe Venitiaparies that you should let your line manager at central office know that you need to knock of work now as you are needed at home to help mummy and daddy host Christmas drinks for those nice execs from Centene...(the US healthcare company who have bought up more than 50 GP practices)

... and while you're home practice a bit of reading comprehension...

You last reply to me contradicts itself in the first sentence..

Er there is no service today, did you miss that small point? Only life and limb.

Bin men have been on strike before! Fire service are balloting soon I think, police and armed forces can't probably for obvious reasons.

Plenty of us have done other jobs
Personally I've done retail, care work, contact centre work, and worked since I was 13 on a work permit waitressing

YABU. Direct your anger at this corrupt government. Our country is being led by a group of arrogant, opportunistic profiteers who only care about themselves.

So an ambulance driver gets a bankers’ wage and vice versa…

You’re going to have issues with tax receipts and funding.

Huge numbers of healthcare workers are resigning. Those who are striking are the ones that want to fight for their profession and their patients.

You are keen on the terms of contracts at the point of employment - healthcare workers joined a profession that is, like the vast majority of professions, entitled to strike.

If they are too important to strike, they ought to be paid properly.