A trade union has launched a formal dispute with the Welsh Ambulance Service after military personnel were deployed to support the “extreme pressure” on the service.

On 26 October, 50 military personnel were deployed to Powys, Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire, and Pembrokeshire. This followed another cohort of 50 troops that were deployed in south and north Wales on 19 October.

The Welsh Ambulance Services has come under fire recently for lengthy waiting times and inadequate service.

Now the GMB union has launched a formal dispute with the service, citing bullying and harassment from the management over underqualified military help.

GMB union said the Welsh Government initially pledged military support for “lower acuity, non-emergency work”, but claimed trained ambulance crews have been split as untrained military personnel are used to try and plug gaps in the service.

They added ambulance staff must undertake ‘blue light training’ to be able to drive an ambulance on emergency status, training that is not extended to military personnel who are instead given a two-day familiarisation course.

When members have raised concerns, the union claimed management have threatened them with redundancies and registration status.

Most paramedics already believe that their status is under threat, with non-blue light trained personnel unequipped for the job.

The union believes that the move further drives down staff morale, with the proportion of trust staff off due to stress and ill health over 11 per cent and rising. The dispute comes as GMB members are due to vote on the latest pay deal to come from the Welsh Government, with the ballot opening this week.