Strike row explodes as union boss blames ministers for deaths

Ambulance worker explains why he's gone on strike

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Pressure is ramping up on ministers to do a deal with health unions as Health Secretary Steve Barclay warned he was “absolutely” at fault for deaths during strikes. The Government is being urged to agree to negotiate a new pay deal to bring an end to the industrial action.

As many as 25,000 ambulance workers are thought to have walked out today, with nurses going on strike earlier this week.

There are fears thousands of 999 calls today will go unanswered, with trusts only guaranteeing they will attend life-threatening incidents.

Laying the blame firmly at the door of Mr Barclay, Christina McAnea, the general secretary of Unison said that is is “absolutely the Government’s” fault if there were any deaths during the strike.

“They have been totally irresponsible,” she told TalkTV.

“It’s completely irresponsible of them to refuse to open any kind of discussions or negotiations with us.”

The incendiary remarks came after the Health Secretary sparked fury overnight by blaming those taking industrial action.

Mr Barclay attacked the unions claiming they had made a “conscious choice” to “inflict harm” on patients.

“The system is already under very significant pressure,” he added when speaking to the BBC this morning.

The Conservative minister said trade unions “haven’t been willing to work with us to agree national exemptions in terms of covering all of the category 1, category 2, life-threatening and emergency calls.

“That makes it very difficult for NHS colleagues to plan the contingency measures – working with the military, working with community services, working with first responders – in terms of how we have contingency measures alongside the strikes.”

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Members of the Armed Forces have been deployed in order to help cover the shortage of striking ambulance staff.

However, they are unable to drive through red lights or turn on blue lights in order to get to their destination quicker.

Polling indicates the public believes the Government is to blame for the industrial action.

A YouGov poll released yesterday showed 54 percent of the 1,758 Britons surveyed between December 16 and 19 thought the Government was responsible for ambulance staff striking.

Everything you need to know about the ambulance strikes

The figure was slightly higher for nurses, with 56 percent blaming ministers.

Just 19 percent and 18 percent blamed trade unions for the respective strikes.

McAnea said: “The public wants ministers to treat NHS staff better and pay them more, as do many politicians on the Government’s side. Trying to paint ambulance workers and their unions as the bad guys in this dispute won’t wash.

“People know it’s ministers who are recklessly putting lives at risk by refusing to negotiate. Unless the government commits to a proper wage rise this year, action will likely escalate in the new year.

“The Health Secretary must stop the insults and groundless accusations and take responsibility for solving this damaging dispute.”

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