Demands on police during NHS strikes have 'far-reaching consequences'

6 February 2023

Police Federation Welsh lead Nicky Ryan has warned that officers might struggle to cope with the additional workload if they are deployed as emergency cover during industrial action by other blue light services.

More than 1,000 members of the UNITE union including paramedics, medical technicians and call handlers staged another strike over pay and conditions across Wales on Monday (6 February).

Other unions suspended planned action after the Welsh Government came forward with an GMB union ambulance members put their walkout on hold last Friday and are now expected to ballot on a new pay offer from the Welsh Government.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) have also suspended strike action.

The Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) said the continuing strike action by Unite will have an impact and asked members of the public to “use our services wisely”.

Nicky said: “We have every sympathy with ambulance workers and other public sector personnel and we know only too well the challenges they are facing.

“Policing is also in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions and in real terms we have suffered pay cuts amounting to more than 20 per cent over the last 12 years.

“Police officers, however, are forbidden from taking strike action and the irony of having to ensure public safety and to pick up the slack when our emergency services colleagues stage a walk-out is not lost on us.”

Nicky said the additional demands on policing during strike days also had far-reaching consequences.

She said: “Many of our members already feel stretched to the limits and the hours spent sitting with someone in a hospital waiting room for eight hours or policing a picket line have to be made up somewhere along the line. 

“Not only does this extra work prevent officers carrying out their core tasks, it can also lead to fatigue, burn-out and wellbeing issues.” 

National chair Steve Hartshorn had previously told MPs many police officers  found it “galling” to have to fill in the gaps left by striking public sector workers while they were not allowed to take similar action themselves.

He told a Commons Home Affairs Select Committee hearing on policing priorities: “I have received anecdotal accounts from our  branch chairs and secretaries about members being asked to ferry victims to hospitals. 

“That takes away from their core function of being a police officer - to protect and detect crime.

“When they get to the hospital they are sat around for a long time, like the ambulances, and can be there in pairs for hours.”

Steve said police officers were also called upon to ensure public safety during industrial action.

He said: “If railway workers go on strike and you suddenly have large numbers of people at the train stations, that’s an extra burden on police officers to deal with their safety. 

“It is right to do that but again it takes away from our core function of responding to 999 calls and trying to be proactive in how we can deter crime from taking place in those very areas.

“It is disheartening for our members because, of course, they do not have the right to strike as Crown servants.”