Strike action planned for next week (December 28) has been called off by GMB, the union for paramedics and ambulance workers. 

The GMB union said that the post-Christmas strike was called off following "amazing" public support.

Members of the union were due to walk out on December 28 in an increasingly bitter dispute over pay and staffing.

Instead, a new coordinated walkout has been announced for January 11, the latest in the dispute over pay and conditions.

The GMB said there was “incredible” support during industrial action by the union and members of Unite and Unison on Wednesday.

Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary added: “We are overwhelmed by Wednesday’s amazing public support for our paramedics and ambulance staff.

“People across the country have been wonderful in backing us and we care so much about them too.

“That’s why we are suspending the proposed GMB industrial action on December 28.

“We know the public will appreciate being able to enjoy Christmas without any additional anxiety. They support us and we support them.”

However, industrial action will resume in the new year, and the North East is once again expected to see healthcare disruption in January, with nurses and ambulance workers striking on multiple days. 

This strike rescheduling comes only a day after Unison announced ambulance strikes on January 11 and 23. 

Read more: Go North East bus drivers call off strike after accepting pay rise

Planned strikes will affect five ambulance services in England, the North East, Yorkshire, the North West, South West and London, and follow industrial action by members of three ambulance unions on Wednesday.

In a statement issued yesterday (December 22), the chief operating officer at the North East Ambulance Service, Stephen Segasby said: “[December 20] was an incredibly challenging day for our service.  We had a significant number of our teams unavailable due to the industrial action.  This followed a peak in pressures earlier in the week when we declared a critical incident.  

“We received fewer 999 calls yesterday and deployed all our clinical managers, training team staff, volunteers and private ambulance providers to respond to emergency calls.

“However, we don’t yet know the full impact of the industrial action on our patients or the wider NHS system, but we thank the public for using 999 wisely, our partners in hospitals and across the NHS for their support to keep our crews on the road and our colleagues for helping to ensure we could reach patients in emergency need of our help.”

Read next:

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to The Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here.