Fears armed forces will have to rush sick patients to hospital as ambulance staff prepare to strike in Scotland
dailyrecord.co.ukAmbulance staff will strike on November 28 across Scotland, prompting fears the Army will have to ferry the sick to hospitals.
About 1800 members of the GMB union will walk out from 6am on that date – for the first time in more than three decades. The move comes amid a wave of strikes, with hospital staff, teachers, rail and postal workers also planning winter walkouts.
Now the SNP government and Health Secretary Humza Yousaf have been urged to get round the table with ambulance staff to avert a strike or face a health emergency.Labour’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “Ambulance workers are at the end of their tether and it is not surprising they are considering strike action.“It is not too late for the SNP government to avert this action by getting back round the negotiating table and delivering a fair pay deal.”She warned the government would require “robust contingency arrangements” including the possibility of “bringing in Army ambulances” to take the sick to hospital.
But she added: “This is not a substitute for trained paramedics and ambulance staff.”The strike will start on the morning of Monday, November 28, and run until 7.59am the following day.
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