Ambulance drivers strike in cuts row

Unite said its 450 members at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust will walk out for 24 hours after the failure to break the deadlock.

Ambulance staff and paramedics will mount picket lines outside ambulance stations across the county. Members of other unions are not involved in the action and will be working normally to provide emergency cover.

Unite said it was derecognised after raising concerns about patient safety over plans to make savings of £46m over the next five years.

The union said there were proposals to employ emergency care assistants, with only a few weeks’ training, alongside paramedics.

Regional officer Terry Cunliffe accused the Trust of taking a “hardline” stance after a fruitless plea for talks over Easter to try to avert the strike. Workers launched an overtime ban last week after voting heavily in favour of industrial action.