Australian Paramedics Association (NSW)
Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) members are taking industrial action from midday today in response to the NSW Government’s 1.04% wage increase offer, which would see Paramedics’ wages go backwards in real terms.
In April, the NSW Government offered Paramedics this 1.04% pay increase in place of the normal 2.5% increase received annually by all public sector workers. APA (NSW) members voted almost unanimously to reject the offer.
“This pathetic wage offer does not even keep our wages in line with inflation” said APA (NSW) Assistant Secretary Alan O’Riordan.
“For all their talk about valuing frontline workers, it has never been clearer that this government simply has no respect for us or the work we do.”
Australian Paramedics Association (NSW)
Communities around NSW will see guaranteed ambulance coverage increase by as much as 25% by mid-July, after NSW Ambulance (NSWA) announced it will comply in full with an IRC Recommendation sought by the Australian Paramedics Association (NSW).
The decision follows 3 years of disputation, and closes a loophole which allowed ambulances to be ‘dropped’ from core rosters without replacement; resulting in frequent and significant shortages.
“Once implemented, this will be the most significant update to Paramedic crewing levels since 2010,” said APA (NSW) President Chris Kastelan.
“NSW Ambulance will now be required to maintain core rosters at every station, every day.
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Paramedics win special payment from the IRC
Paramedics and Control Centre Officers at NSW Ambulance will receive a special one-off payment after the Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) ran a wage case to successfully defy the NSW Government’s freeze on public sector wages.
APA (NSW) ran their wage case for the 2020-21 financial year separately from other unions, focusing on the exceptional nature of workplace changes in a year marked by bushfires, floods and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is not a Paramedic in the state who doesn’t deserve a pay increase after being consistently at the frontlines through this unprecedented year,” said APA (NSW) President Chris Kastelan.
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Paramedic calls for action on critical shortage of ambulance crews in New South Wales01/05/2021|7min
Australian Paramedics Association’s Liu Bianchi says NSW Ambulance is suffering from a shortage of staff which is leading to fatigue and safety issues for paramedics.
“Basically, NSW Ambulance have the same staffing levels - we call them minimum operating levels - since 2010,” she said.
“So that means we are working with the same number of staff on our roads as we did in 2010 - so 11 years ago.
“Despite that the service maintains these levels are sufficient to meet the demand from the community who are ringing 000 and yet there is so much evidence to state otherwise”.
Australian Paramedics Association (NSW)
Patients waited hours for an ambulance yesterday while managerial staff were pulled from offices to ambulances as South West Sydney hit ‘Status 3’: an emergency designation once reserved for genuine crises. Paramedics state-wide are taking industrial action over ongoing resourcing failures.
The Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) reports that patients waited up to 4 hours for an ambulance after calling Triple Zero, and Paramedics spent up to 3 hours per patient in ‘bed block’ (waiting outside a hospital to offload the patient).
“By the time we’re at Status 3, NSW Ambulance are pulling every possible staff member from other roles to respond to Triple Zero calls including Educators, Managers and Executive Managers, and Paramedics on day one of the job,” said APA (NSW) President Chris Kastelan.