Thousands of ambulance staff in England and Wales and a number of secondary school teachers in Scotland walked out on Wednesday (11 January) in disputes over pay and conditions.Paramedics, call handlers, divers and technicians from the Unison and GMB unions are taking part in staggered strikes across a 24-hour period. The action comes as 14 health unions, representing more than a million NHS staff, said they will not submit evidence to the NHS pay review body for the next wage round "while the current industrial disputes remain unresolved".