Glimmer of hope in 999 dispute

PARAMEDICS provided a glimmer of hope that further strike action could be avoided as the GMB Union suspended their strike last weekend.

Strikes were scheduled every Saturday until the end of October, and have taken place for the last seven weeks.

Last Saturday, however, the action was suspended to allow for talks between the GMB and the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).

A GMB spokesperson said that two meetings had taken place in the days leading up to the Bank Holiday weekend with the involvement of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), to try and resolve the long running dispute over job evaluation.

GMB organiser Mike Buoey, said: “After consulting our members at a branch meeting, we have agreed to postpone this weekend’s strike action and will be having further meetings with the employer and ACAS next week. While it is early days, we are hopeful these exploratory talks may prove fruitful and help us address the concerns of our members.

“We will be having a further branch meeting to consider the next steps”.

The dispute over job evaluation has been a drawn out process, and last month the GMB outlined the issue.

GMB organiser Paul Turner said in July: “GMB’s hard-working North West paramedics have simply had enough.

“We submitted a Freedom of Information request to NWAS, which made it clear the trust had sought advice from senior figures within NHS employers - a clear breach of national job evaluation guidelines (JEG).

“Our members now have no confidence in the JEG to enable a a fair and transparent evaluation.

“GMB is asking for an independent investigation to be undertaken into what has gone on during the past 13 years and the reason we are in this situation.

“After almost 13 years, our members are now saying enough is enough.”