Paramedics under 'severe pressure' during strike (From Kingston Guardian)
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Paramedics under 'severe pressure' during strike
6:38pm Wednesday 30th November 2011 in News By Paul Teed
Paramedics will continue to struggle to respond to emergency calls in the capital this evening after ambulance staff walked out on strike, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said.
Jason Killens, deputy director of operations at LAS, said its staff have been under “severe pressure” all day and appealed for people to only dial 999 if someone’s life is in danger.
He said: “We are still under severe pressure and expect this to increase over the next few hours as a result of today's industrial action.
"There are still a number of patients who are waiting for an ambulance response and it is more important than ever for Londoners to only dial 999 for an ambulance if somebody's life is in danger.
"We are sorry for any delays people are facing and patients who call with minor illnesses or injuries such as stomach upsets or cuts and bruises will not be sent an ambulance response.
"We have asked unions to encourage their members to return to work as normal or increase their emergency cover, as per the agreement with Unison and GMB."
Thousands of public sector workers across the country walked out on strike today in protest against Government proposals to reduce their pensions.
Comments(5)
bandit63
says...
1:38pm Thu 1 Dec 11
I agree with you to a certain point, there should be a majority of the relevant membership in favour of strike action, not just a majority of those who actaully voted. However, to brand all the unions as far left is not correct. There were a number of unions who appraently have never been on strike before being involved in yesterday's action and I know people that walked out who have previously crossed picket lines. So generalisations can't be made here.
However, whilst I have some sympathy for long serving members of the public sector, they need to wake up and understand what the average "joe" has gone through in the last years in the private sector. To be honest quite a few do now that things need to chnage, but they are frustrated with a number of things.
I know this because my wife is a specialist palliative care nurse. She has not had a pay rise for 2 years, her pension is changing for the worse, has seen the medical workforce cut, beds and services closed down, but the demand carries on rising. She is a conservative but would have gone on strike if her union had done so (RCN) and her profesional standards laid down by the NMC allowed her to. Having her cry sometimes with the frustration of it all is something that shouldn't be dismissed out of hand, as some poeple seem to do.
jeremyhm
says...
8:51am Mon 5 Dec 11
Twickenham Bob
says...
1:06am Tue 6 Dec 11
Business leaders are calling for state pensions can be cut, so that they in turn cut Private Pension arrangements.
NEST pensions are being introduced so that ALL private sector employees can have occupational pensions where the employer has to contribute.
Between October 2012 and 2017, depending on the size of company, all UK employers will be required to contribute a minimum of 3% of each employee’s eligible earnings into a pension, assuming the employee does not “opt out”. This is intended to incentivise them to start saving towards their retirement. Employees will need to pay a personal contribution of 5% (4% with a further 1% tax relief being added) to make the minimum contribution 8%.
jeremyhm
says...
6:06pm Tue 6 Dec 11
PhillipTaylor says...
10:57pm Wed 30 Nov 11
It is now time for the government to ensure that proper strike ballots take place in future which have the support of the majority of the workforce, not a small minority of about 20% or so.
These small percentages in support of strikes are a wholly unrepresentative indication of the actual levels of support for losing a day's pay!
I feel it is time for a re-think on strike ballots.
Phillip Taylor