LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
I WOULD like to reply to the false statements in the letter to the editor headed ‘Ambo Union ‘misrepresents’ situation’ written by Health Minister David Davis.
This was submitted along with another full page colour advertisement telling the public what we allegedly earn and what the alleged conditions of this enterprise bargaining agreement are.
I must say that it would have cost a small fortune to print these advertisements continuously in every Victorian newspaper, and I wonder if these taxpayer funds would be better spent upgrading our 12 hour a day mobile intensive care ambulance single response unit service to 24 hours?
I am a local paramedic of about eight years’ experience.
I recently posted an article explaining paramedic angst felt about the current EBA and issues surrounding the administration of the ambulance service.
The current government offer of a $3000 sign on and 12 per cent total pay rise, while sounding somewhat impressive to the public, is still going to keep Victoria’s paramedics amongst the lowest paid in Australia (30 per cent behind some other states).
When spread over five years, it is effectively less than the original offer of 2.5 per cent per year for three years.
The $3000 sign on, again seeming generous, is less than half of what paramedics have already given up to fight this Ambulance Victoria and Victorian Government raid on working conditions.
I question where David Davis is sourcing his statistics in relation to our EBA, Ambulance Victoria resourcing and the “falsely high” attrition levels of about five per cent annually?
It has been regularly stated to me and well known by fellow paramedics and students that Ambulance Victoria only expects three to five years out of their new workforce.
I wonder if the five per cent is the end figure subtracted from the stated 539 recruited ‘equivalent’ paramedics and the experienced paramedics that have left?
‘Equivalent’ is a term used to get around the fact that the title of ‘paramedic’ is not yet protected.
Whether you are a valued community first responder, trained with an Ambulance Victoria-run first aid course, or a tertiary and degree trained paramedic makes no difference in who uses the title of ‘paramedic’.
Ambulance Victoria has recruited more first responders to the area than tertiary qualified paramedics, and I wonder if these have been added to the figure?
Out of these 539 new equivalent paramedics, it is interesting to note that no new full time, stretcher-bearing ambulance resources have been added to the Ambulance Victoria fleet in Gippsland.
The main reason the EBA has stalled for Denis Napthine and David Davis is because they have tried to remove union facilitation and continue to have ‘rural reserve’ as a condition of signing for paramedics.
There is no way paramedics will remove a union presence from our workplace.
Rural reserve, while it has been suggested is one month a year, remains a grey area because there are clauses and fine print built into this EBA to suggest this practice will become full time in the future.
I would like to see a solution to rural reserve in the way of voluntary relievers in smaller catchments no more than 25km from each other (for example, Sale, Maffra and Heyfield locally).
I believe by making paramedics work 14-hour nightshifts and forcing them to drive “about an hour” from their home branch is a gross breach of employer duty of care that is negligent on Ambulance Victoria and the Victorian Government’s behalf.
It is proven that a fatigued driver is just as dangerous as a drunk driver (tac.vic.gov.au).
It has also been proven that a fatigued driver is twice as likely to die in a road accident because you are unable to brake while you’re asleep (paramedics driving home solo on 100kmh rural roads).
By forcing rural reserve on paramedics you also take away consent and the ability of paramedics to use measures to ensure their own safety (for example, living closer to their workplace).
Drinking caffeine and power naps are a form of personal protection and are the last line of defence in risk management
Power naps are no substitute for a restful sleep.
‘Elimination’ and ‘administration’ are the frontline tools used for risk assessment and management.
By ‘eliminating’ the long drive home after fatiguing shifts and administering’ a relieving model in smaller catchments, then I believe our employer will have satisfied its responsibilities for duty of care to provide a safe workplace (OHS Act).
Lastly our $110K package seems unrealistic considering an ALS6 paramedic grosses $69,000 with $9000 optional salary packaging out of that amount.
Our 10 weeks annual leave is incorrect.
We have five weeks annual leave and time off for hours we have worked in a 42-hour week (ADOs) and the loss of weekends, public holidays, Christmas and Easter.
We also work five days on and three days off, not four days on and four days off as suggested.
This is because on our last night shift we work eight hours of our ‘day off’ (midnight to 8am)and often sleep during the rest of it.
I am grateful for the ESSS super we have access to as emergency service employees, but it won’t pay the bills for the next 30 years of employment.
I was disappointed to hear Premier Napthine and Health Minister Davis announce our last offer through the media before telling the union and paramedics first.
I found it unprofessional and believe they are not bargaining in good faith or following set negotiating procedures.
I look forward to a swift resolution and can’t wait to sign off our EBA.
Once again, all Victorian paramedics are the union.
I am not a union shop steward and I don’t consider myself ‘hardline’.
We just want a fair deal.
