St John Ambulance's mission statement is that everyone should receive first aid when they need it,and that no one should suffer because of a lack of trained first aiders (or something like that). That is the basis on which they provide an ambulance service - whether it is at a prearranged event, assisting the statuary ambulance service with PTS at evenings and weekends, providing backup during a major incident, or covering during strike action. The role in strike action cover is entirely non-partisan. They support neither the employees nor the employers. They are just there to transport people who need an ambulance. having said that, while I can't speak for LAS, in my own area the sympathies of most SJ members I knew during the 1980's strikes were very much with the employees.