Yorkshire Ambulance workers walk out to stop shift changes

Yorkshire Ambulance workers have struck for a fifth and sixth time in a long-running dispute over working hours and patient and staff safety.

Workers walked out on Friday of last week and Monday of this week for five hours each day. 

They plan a further five-hour strike on Saturday of this week and on Monday of next week.

The workers are striking over changes to shift patterns that could see them working for up to ten hours without a break. 

The Unite union represents the workers.It says it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed because of workers’ exhaustion.

Unite regional officer Terry Cunliffe said, “Our members have shown amazing solidarity over the last year despite the hard line that an obstinate and blinkered management has continued to take.”