Scramble as 999 services try to limit disruption

EMERGENCY services in Yorkshire were scrambling last night to minimise disruption caused by today’s union walkout over public sector pensions.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service urged the public to only dial 999 for serious or life-threatening injuries, while police forces cancelled leave and trained non-union members to handle emergency calls.

Hundreds of civilian police staff and ambulance workers are expected to join two million other public sector workers in the largest union walkout since the 1979 Winter of Discontent.

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More than 1,000 schools and dozens of day care centres and libraries will be closed or partially closed in Yorkshire, with disruption also anticipated at hospitals, courts, Government offices, Jobcentres, universities, driving test centres, museums, ports and airports.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service will operate at a reduced level between 6am and 6pm.

Executive director of operations Sarah Fatchett said: “We will make every effort to get to patients as quickly and safely as possible and we will also be carrying out additional clinical triage over the telephone using doctors and senior clinicians in our emergency operations centres to ensure that we prioritise those patients who need our help the most.

“We are asking people to only call 999 for an ambulance in an emergency when it is obvious that someone has a life-threatening or serious illness or injury.”

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Patient transport services will also be scaled back, running only for patients with kidney, cancer and palliative care appointments. Unions are anticipating a high percentage of civilian police staff in the region to strike, with contingency plans being put in place.

In West Yorkshire, communications and 999 recorders were the only staff exempted from the strike, while replacement staff were being trained to handle emergency calls in the South Yorkshire and Humberside forces.

But no exemptions were made in North Yorkshire, with some emergency communications staff expected to join police community support officers, forensics, crime scene investigators and clerical staff in the walkout.

A small number of non-members will run operations.

Fire brigades will not be participating in the walkout.

Alan Hughes, Unison regional manager, said: “Why is the Chancellor George Osborne asking pension schemes to invest tens of billions of pounds to stimulate the UK economy and at the same time driving pension members from the schemes because they can’t afford to pay more?

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“Public sector pension schemes are decent and affordable. Should not the Government be concentrating on ensuring a decent pension for everyone rather than jeopardise schemes which are the fourth biggest investors in the UK economy?”

But opponents of the strike said the economy could not afford to shut down, with industrial action at schools and day care centres forcing many parents to take the day off.

Judith Fiddler, chief executive of pensions specialist Direct Law & Personnel, said: “The strike action will have a devastating effect on working parents.

“The knock-on effect of having to take sick days or unpaid leave can be devastating for families this close to Christmas.

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“It is estimated that the total loss of this one day will be in the region of £500m.”

Unison, Britain’s largest public sector trade union, saw a 78 per cent vote in favour of strike action after the Government announced a 3.2 percentage point increase in pension contributions.

Comment Page 14.

Bernard Ingham: Page 15.