SCOTTISH ambulance workers have voted overwhelmingly for an official strike ballot if excessive demands on the service and staff are not effectively tackled by the Scottish government and managers.

GMB Scotland, which represents 1,200 workers in the Scottish ambulance service, undertook a consultative ballot of its members and is calling for action to deal with “ongoing and systematic abuse of staff” due to severe understaffing and cuts.

The union’s senior officer Mick Conroy called for “a large investment from the Scottish government to increase our staff” as well as “resources across all grades to prevent the current impact on patients” and on staff’s terms and conditions.