LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
MR Davis’ claims that paramedics are well remunerated, implying that the average paramedic is earning an average of $93,000 per year, including overtime, up to $223,000 per annum, is incorrect.
The base rate for an Advanced Life Support, year six paramedic is $56,000 per annum.
Shift penalties for working night shifts and weekends adds another $15,000 per annum to the total pay rate of about $71,000 per annum.
Mr Davis also claims that paramedics get 10 weeks annual leave, which is not entirely correct.
We have four weeks annual leave, with one week added for being a shift worker.
Three weeks for working public holidays and a further two weeks accrued time off (ADOs) for built-in overtime in excess of a 38 hour week.
We do not get paid extra for working public holidays, nor are we able to take our ADOs as single days off so we have them added to our annual leave.
Paramedics are not given any more leave than ordinary workers.
What Mr Davis also fails to tell the public about the so-called generous pay offer, is that there are strings attached.
One is the removal of union facilitation within the workplace.
This means that, if a paramedic is called in for a disciplinary hearing or grievance, that paramedic will not be allowed to have a union representative with him or her.
Another is the introduction of a relieving model which would result in all paramedics forced to relieve at branches other than their own permanent branch.
This can require a paramedic to travel up to and beyond 200km per shift, which will add many hundreds of kilometres they have to travel each week.
It will also force paramedics to relieve others and require them to work their 10 hour shifts, plus 14 hour call, if the branch is a call branch.
Paramedics at Sale work a blended 10 hour, 11 hour and 14 hour roster.
So travelling to these other locations will add two hours plus to the working day.
We also regularly work incidental overtime which can cause a 10 hour shift to blow out to a 12 to 14 hour shift, or a 14 hour shift to blow out to a 16 to 18 hour shift, then have to drive back home.
Paramedics feel that this flies in the face of occupational health and safety and also a fatigue issue.
Sadly, Mr Davis is not telling the true reason of why Victoria’s paramedics will not accept his so-called generous pay offer.
He would rather place adverts in all major and regional newspapers trying to discredit paramedics, at an enormous cost to taxpayers.
Victoria’s paramedics, I believe, will not agree to any pay offer while these unacceptable conditions are attached.
