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The Christmas period was one of peak demand on the Ambulance Service and with this in mind NHS management was considering offering a 5 day truce under which ambulance staff would receive full pay if they in turn agreed to provide a normal accident and emergency service. Such a move would not be without dangers for management, but it would also pose problems for NUPE who would find it difficult to justify refusing the offer and might find it a problem to get their members to return to diminished earnings once the truce was over. A truce would have the added advantage of relieving the pressure on the Armed Forces over the istmas period. On balance he saw advantage in management ng such an offer quickly.
Iscussion it was noted that the ambulance workers continued to attract substantial public support, including financial contributions to their collections. These might well, however, reduce after Christmas. It was essential that the management case be got across to the public as effectively as possible, although his was made difficult because some elements in the media apard determined to support the ambulance workers' cause. The seemed, for example, unwilling to recognise that the difficulties providing an adequate accident and emergency service stemmed ly from the industrial action being taken by ambulance staff. continued occupation of ambulance stations by NUPE members was further cause of difficulty, amounting to appropriation by the public assets. Turning ambulance staff taking industrial aon) but of the stations would, however, be very difficult, in preational as well as in other terms.
THE PRIME MINISTER, Surin up the discussion, said that the action being taken by
as wholly indefensible. Every effort must continue to be mad to get across the management case in the dispute and to highlight the
the unacceptable consequences of the industrial action. All Ministers should give the Secretary of State for alth and the NHS management executive whatever assistance the old in this process.
The Cabinet -
Took note.
Cabinet Office
15 December 1989
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