Ambulance staff at the London ambulance service headquarters were among the first on the picket lines this morning – lighting their brazier at midnight.
Twelve hours on, David Lang, UNISON’s rep for 150 members at three stations, is still going strong.
In fact, he has been in the same spot organising his troops in Waterloo since 1pm on Tuesday, 24 hours ago.
“It’s my first strike. And it’s been quite novel and rewarding. I couldn’t be happier with how everyone has responded.”
Mr Lang says he and his colleagues were united in their surprise at the government’s assertion that the NHS pension scheme – £2billion in the black – was in need of extra contributions.
“I now have got to work till I’m 66. Apparently, younger members are going to have to work till they’re 69. This is a tough job, with a lot of lifting of patients. As far as I’m concerned paramedics should be given the same consideration as police and firemen, who retire at 60. This is putting us at risk, and patients at risk. A 69-year-old hauling a person up the stairs is absurd. No-one has thought about that.”
The London ambulance staff ensured that there was plenty of cover for emergency calls, he says.
“We could not just walk out and leave Londoners without an ambulance service. We have a duty of care. We do this because we love it. Although we reduced cover, we still had enough people to answer calls.”
Still on his feet after a day, with another 12 hours until the picket ends at midnight, Mr Lang says he has been buoyed by the camaraderie of his colleagues.
“We’ve lost a bit of that camaraderie over the years, because of the work and the pressure put on us. We don’t always get enough time to talk with each other and discuss jobs, including those difficult jobs that affect us.
“This has given us a chance to catch up and socialise and see how people are.”