Nurses and ambulance drivers have mostly been on strike separately since last year, but both will stop working together on Monday. This will become the largest strike the National Health Service (NHS) has faced in its 75-year existence.
NHS workers are demanding a pay rise in line with the UK’s worst inflation in over 40 years, while the UK government insists the proposed pay rises are ‘unsustainable’ and will see further price increases. Also, interest rates would rise.
Half a million attackers
The pressure on British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is only increasing due to the strikes. Since the summer of 2022, half a million Britons, mostly from the public sector, have already been made redundant. Eyes increasingly focused on Sunak to solve problems and reduce inconvenience, which also affect public transport and schools.
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Grant Shapps has expressed concern about potentially life-threatening situations if so many NHS staff go on strike due to a lack of cooperation in protective systems. For example, the ambulance unions do not want to cooperate in the strategic positioning of emergency services which will be controlled by the military. “The Royal College of Nursing has very responsibly advised the NHS where there will be strikes so that an emergency network can be set up,” said Shapps. “Unfortunately, the ambulance unions have decided not to provide any information that would help.”