Ambulance personnel are to take their first national strike action on Wednesday in support of a pay claim, union FNV Zorg & Welzijn announced on Tuesday.

Ambulance personnel will only respond to emergency call-outs on Wednesday between noon and 16.00 in much of the country, including the main cities of the Randstad.

The workers have been without a pay and conditions agreement for ten months and have been taking action since May. They have stopped working overtime and return to their station after each call-out which costs extra time.

There have also been strikes in the various regions, but one at a time. This is the first time a strike has hit ten regions at once.

Ambulance personnel want a wage increase of 2.5%, better arrangements for training and no night duty for the over-55s.

The employer, Ambulancezorg Nederland, is not prepared to accept the demands.