In Pictures

Photos: UK ambulance staff follow nurses in strike over pay

Ambulances are parked in the Headquarters — Ambulances are parked in headquarters as strike action by ambulance workers begins on December 21 in Coventry, England. [Darren Staples/Getty Images]

Thousands of ambulance workers in Britain began a one-day strike on Wednesday, a day after nurses walked out, with unions and the government swapping accusations of blame for putting lives at risk.

The government advised people not to play contact sports or take unnecessary car trips in order to reduce their risk of needing an ambulance, as paramedics, call-handlers and technicians across England and Wales staged their biggest walkout in three decades.

Three ambulance unions were striking for either 12 or 24 hours. They have pledged to respond to life-threatening calls, but officials said they could not guarantee everyone who needed an ambulance would get one.

“The system will be under very severe pressure today,” health secretary Steve Barclay told Sky News. “We’re saying to the public to exercise their common sense in terms of what activities they do, being mindful of those pressures that are on the system.”

Stephen Powis, national medical director of the National Health Service in England, advised people not to get “blind drunk”.

“It’s the season of parties, pre-Christmas, so do enjoy yourself but obviously don’t get so drunk that you end up with an unnecessary visit” to a hospital emergency room, he said.

Healthcare staff and other public sector workers are seeking raises in the face of decades-high inflation that was running at 10.7 percent in November.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative administration argues that double-digit public sector raises would drive inflation even higher.

Union leaders accused the government of deliberately prolonging the strike.

“I have never seen such an abdication of leadership as I have from Rishi Sunak and the health secretary,” said Sharon Graham, leader of the Unite union that represents some ambulance staff.

Nurses have also held two days of strikes this month, piling pressure on a health system that is already under strain from surging demand as pandemic restrictions ease, alongside staff shortages from burnout and Brexit, which has made it harder for Europeans to work in the UK.

Official statistics show that ambulances in many areas are routinely stuck waiting outside hospital emergency departments, sometimes for hours, because there are no beds for the patients.

Ambulance crews are due to strike again on December 28. Railway staff, passport officers and postal workers are also planning walkouts over the Christmas holiday season.

The UK’s most intense strike wave for decades is a response to a cost-of-living crisis driven by soaring food and energy prices in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As a result of the industrial action, people across the UK face postponed hospital appointments, cancelled trains and travel delays during the winter holiday season. But opinion polls have suggested a high level of support for the workers.

BRITAIN-STRIKES/AMBULANCES — Ambulance workers hold Unison flags as they take part in a strike, amid a dispute with the government over pay, outside NHS London Ambulance. [Henry Nicholls/Reuters]

A paramedic shuts the door of an ambulance outside the Waterloo ambulance station in London. [Niklas Halle'n/AFP]

Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison speaks — Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, speaks to the media as she joins ambulance service workers and Unison UK public-sector union members on a picket outside the London Ambulance Service headquarters. [Dan Kitwood/Getty Images]

Ambulance workers at a picket line — Ambulance workers gather at a picket line amid a dispute with the government over pay, outside Royal Liverpool University Hospital in Liverpool, UK. [Phil Noble/Reuters]

Demonstrators hold up placards in support of a strike by nurses outside St Thomas' Hospital in London on Tuesday. [Alastair Grant/AP Photo]

People hold signs outside University College Hospital as NHS nurses march — People hold signs outside University College Hospital after NHS nurses walked out on Tuesday. [Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters]

People hold signs, as ambulance workers strike — People hold signs of support as ambulance workers strike. Unions have asked for a pay raise above inflation, which stood at 10.7 percent on the consumer price measure in November. [Henry Nicholls/Reuters]

BRITAIN-STRIKES — Ambulance workers stand near a burn-barrel as Wednesday's strike moves into the evening. [Henry Nicholls/Reuters]

An NHS staff member carries items to an ambulance on the day of the strike, amid a dispute with the government over pay, near the NHS London Ambulance Service. [Henry Nicholls/Reuters]