UNISON members stand around a brazier on the picket line

East of England ambulance workers announce first strike over pay

East of England ambulance staff will strike next month in their first day of action in the spiralling dispute over NHS pay, says UNISON Eastern today. The union says the strike on Wednesday 8 March is a serious escalation of the dispute and a direct result of the government’s failure to hold proper pay talks […]

Two ambulance workers hold signs urging people to vote in the reballot

East of England joins ambulance strikes

The growing NHS dispute over pay and staffing will now cover ambulance staff across the East of England England for the first time, says UNISON today. Announcing its re-ballot results of thousands more health workers, UNISON says staff at another four English ambulance services and five NHS organisations, including NHS Blood and Transplant, will now […]

Newly qualified paramedics enjoy UNISON-won pay boost

Many newly qualified paramedics in the East of England are beginning to see an increase in their pay this month after fighting together in UNISON for better banding. UNISON supported staff to put a collective grievance in against the trust over the NQP role. When the role was introduced in 2016, it was agreed that […]

Senior paramedic lays bare the pressures ambulance staff face

With ambulance staff facing an unprecedented crisis, EEAS UNISON branch chair Glenn Carrington was invited on to the BBC’s PM programme to explain how workers are coping. "It's terrible. We're on our knees, it's absolutely terrible." Listen to @UnisonEEAS chair Glenn explain what's happening to the ambulance service on the PM programme. pic.twitter.com/HrCrgwbyXI — UNISON […]

Tom Abell and Glenn Carrington sit down to sign the charter

East of England Ambulance Service signs up to anti-racism pledge

The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) is the first NHS Trust to have signed up to UNISON’s new Anti-Racism Charter which aims to help tackle racism in the public sector. The charter commits organisations and their leaders to a raft of pledges designed to prevent all forms of conscious or unconscious racial bias. This […]

‘Sticking plaster’ soldiers drafted in to ambulance service

Military personnel have been drafted into the east of England to ease the pressure on stretched ambulance crews. Around two dozen army staff are taking on patient transport duties in Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire so that drivers can help deal with surging 999 calls. UNISON Eastern regional secretary Tim Roberts said: “The East of England […]