London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Unions claim troops not ‘sufficiently trained’ to cover for striking staff

Unions claim troops not ‘sufficiently trained’ to cover for striking staff

The Government has said it is stepping up its contingency plans for industrial action in the week leading up to Christmas.
Unions have lashed out at plans for the armed forces to cover for striking public sector workers in the run up to Christmas, claiming the military are not “sufficiently trained” to plug staffing gaps on the front line.

The Government is deploying 1,200 troops from the Army, Navy and RAF to fill in for ambulance drivers and border staff during widespread walkouts over the festive period, with more than 1,000 civil servants also drafted in to help.

But while ministers have insisted their chief concern is public safety, unions have accused the Government of trying to “mask” the “effectiveness” of strike action, having spent time on contingency planning that could have been “better” invested in securing a deal.

They warned military personnel are not properly qualified to guard the borders or drive ambulances, insisting troops should not be put in such an “invidious” position when they already have “enough on their plate”.

Ambulance crews in England are due to walk out for two days on December 21 and 28 in a row over pay, while border staff in the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will strike for eight days from December 23 until New Year’s Eve.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said his “number one priority” is keeping patients “as safe as possible” as he reiterated the Government’s position that union demands are “not affordable”.

But Unite, which is co-ordinating the ambulance strikes with GMB and Unison, accused ministers of “hollowing out” the NHS, maintaining those taking industrial action are in fact “trying to save the service”.

GMB and Unison said those in power had opted to “dig in their heels” on pay with the health service “already on its knees”, making disruption appear “inevitable”.

Sara Gorton, Unison’s head of health, also warned the military is “no substitute” for qualified ambulance staff, while Nathan Holman, from GMB, said bringing in “untrained” personnel would be a “hindrance” rather than a help.

Without specialist training in exceeding speed limits and passing through red lights, Mr Holman told the PA news agency the military would only be able to respond to the “least urgent calls”.

Ms Gorton said the promise of a Government rethink on NHS pay “could have put the brakes on action”, but ministers “chose instead to dig in their heels”.

“The military’s no substitute for trained ambulance staff as the Government knows,” she said

“The hours spent on contingency planning could have been better used trying to prevent the strikes from taking place.”

Fears over insufficient training were echoed by the PCS, which accused Home Secretary Suella Braverman of “scrambling around” to get “anyone she can” to cover for border staff.

Paul O’Connor, the union’s head of bargaining, said the military have “better things to do” than passport control.

“They are not sufficiently trained to carry out this role and they shouldn’t be put in this invidious position when they should be enjoying the festive break with their families,” he said.

“The same applies to civil servants who are being pulled in from elsewhere, also leaving their jobs uncovered.

“Instead of throwing good money after bad trying to desperately mask the effectiveness of our industrial action, the Government should put a serious offer on the table to deal with the cost-of-living crisis that they have created for their own workforce.

“That is the only way to resolve this dispute.”

The troops drafted in to cover for striking workers include 600 ambulance drivers, plus a further 150 providing logistical support.

Community first responders will also be used to help manage demand for medical care.

Meanwhile, military personnel will join civil servants filling in for striking Border Force staff.

They will help “minimise disruption for passengers” by checking documents and passports.

The NHS will enact “tried and tested” plans to mitigate risks to patient safety and manage disruption, the Government said, while trusts will work with unions to agree on a safe level of cover.

Health chiefs have written to hospitals urging them to free up a maximum number of beds by safely discharging patients in advance of the ambulance strikes.

But Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, warned this will be a challenge.

While he agrees with the “principles” in the letter, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the demands will be “really difficult” to achieve.

"I have listened to unions and am open to further discussions but their demands are not affordable in the economic circumstances"

The Cabinet Office is also set to publish a new “resilience framework” on Monday, bringing together all levels of government, as well as the private sector, charities and the public to “bolster” the UK’s preparedness for industrial action.

Mr Barclay said: “NHS staff do an incredible job and it is deeply regrettable some union members are going ahead with further strike action.

“My number one priority is to keep patients as safe as possible and we are stepping up preparations across government and the NHS, including making best use of the armed forces, volunteers and freeing up capacity to mitigate disruption and ensure safe staffing levels.

“People who need emergency and life-threatening care should continue to come forward as normal, or use NHS 111 online for urgent advice.

“I have listened to unions and am open to further discussions but their demands are not affordable in the economic circumstances.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×