More conflict has broken out at Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) just weeks after managers headed off a strike threat.
Members of Unison claim YAS has “unilaterally” changed its break time policy despite promising not to alter it last month.
In March, Unison threatened to ballot its 3,000 YAS members amid a row about meal breaks.
Industrial action was averted after ambulance chiefs agreed to back down.
But the union now says YAS has gone ahead with changes and claims they are putting patient safety at risk.
A Unison spokesman said YAS had removed the agreed break time of between the fourth and sixth hour of a shift.
He said: “This change was imposed without any agreement with Unison.
“When we learned of these changes we informed the service it was completely unacceptable and was putting members and patients at risk due to the possibility of staff going eight hours 15 minutes without a break.
“Unison also believes that the changes break the European Working Time directive.
“We will be challenging the enforced changes legally.”
Ian Brandwood, Executive Director of HR at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “Following consultation with Unison representatives, minor changes were made to the rest break arrangements to ensure that we provide an effective service to the people of Yorkshire.
“We take staff welfare very seriously and have effective measures in place to support their health and wellbeing. We aim to provide rest breaks for staff between the fourth and sixth hour of their shifts, but we are an emergency service and the care of our patients must be our priority.
“We do not consider that there has been a breach of the European Working Time Directive.”
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