MINIMUM SERVICE LEGISLATION – AMBULANCE SERVICE STRIKES
The Government are currently rushing legislation through Parliament that seeks to restrict ambulance workers rights to strike and to introduce minimum service levels for ambulance services on strike days in England, Scotland and Wales. (As a result of campaigning and lobbying, a recent amendment in the House of Lords has restricted the scope of this Bill to England only).
If the legislation passes through Parliament, it could give employers rights to name individuals or groups of workers that must attend work on strike days. This gives Managers a huge amount of power over workers. The ambulance service has a terrible bullying culture, and this legislation would give bad managers another tool to target individuals by instructing them to cross the picket lines of their colleagues and attend work, and threaten them with sanctions for failing to do so. Trade union representatives could also become targets.
GMB is fundamentally opposed to this legislation and the restriction of the right to strike being placed on any ambulance worker – or any worker right across the NHS, public services and other industries. GMB has been working alongside the TUC and other unions to oppose this legislation and seek amendments as it passes through the parliamentary process.
Last week GMB submitted evidence into the consultation and you can access it here: Evidence submissions | GMB / DHSC_ambulance_MSL.pdf (gmb.org.uk)
Today, GMB attended two meetings with the Department of Health and Social Care Officials to discuss the consultation and legislation in more detail. Key points that were made on behalf of GMB members working right across the ambulance service were:
- We are extremely frustrated about the amount of money, time and resources that is being spent on this consultation and forcing this Bill through Parliament. If the Government truly want to improve the ambulance service and ensure public safety, they should talk to GMBs Ambulance Reps about the essential reforms that are needed across the service.
- GMB has written on numerous occasions to this Government over the last few years, regarding ambulance service pressures and changes that the system needs. We have repeatedly asked for meetings to discuss these issues. We were ignored until ambulance service workers voted for industrial action.
- GMB members working across the ambulance service feel targeted and attacked by this legislation – they worked around the clock to put life and limb cover in place and some of those agreements were breached and abused by employers at a local level on strike days.
- The specified goals of this legislation are to improve targets and patient access to services – but the reality is there are issues everyday, regardless of strikes. In fact, the derogations our members agreed locally, actually improved services on strike days when compared with a normal working day.
- Arguments regarding Category One and Category Two calls on strike days were a distraction. A tool used by Government to try turn the public against the striking workers, but this did not work and the public support was unwavering. Focus should have been on trying to resolve the dispute with the striking workers instead.
- Different triage and dispatch systems were used by some services on strike days which should be considered and adopted as the norm.
- Attempts to identify individuals and parts of the workforce to name as being essential and therefore to be denied the right to strike, is unfair and extremely damaging to the morale of the workforce. Pitching one worker against another in terms of perceived importance would do nothing to settle any future dispute.
- Poor leaders and bullying managers could abuse the legislation to unfairly target individuals and trade union representatives.
GMB will continue to oppose this legislation and will be contacting the Ambulance Team within the Department of Health & Social Care asking them, once again, to meet with GMB National Ambulance Reps.
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Posted: 5th July 2023