Ambulance union secures in-principal deal

THE Victorian Ambulance Union (VAU) has reached an in-principal agreement on a new deal including wage increases ranging from 17 to 33 per cent over four years and conditions to reduce burnout. The settlement was shared with members last Tuesday following negotiations that have been ongoing between the VAU, Ambulance Victoria and the government since February 2023. The terms include a 16.98pc (compounded) wage increase for most positions, and more than 20pc (compounded) for experienced paramedics, and an additional $12,500 relativity uplift for MICA paramedics, delivering overall increases of up to 33pc. There would also be a new $5 per hour availability allowance for rural ambulance community officers who volunteer their time in their hometown to provide a response in remote areas. Other improvements have been agreed to in-principle around clinical instructor allowances, unsociable shift allowances, on call allowances, reserve/flexibility allowances, and travel allowances. To reduce being forced to work overtime at the end of shift paramedics will not be sent to lower acuity cases in the last hour of shift. Paramedics will be taken out of service at the end of their shift and will only be contacted for confirmed life-threatening emergencies. Some 84 additional communications staff would assist with end of shift management and support crews on road. More than 80 other improvements to conditions of employment would include access to single days off, improved meal break provisions, improvements to health and safety, the right to disconnect, better allocation to rural branches, assisted reproductive treatment leave, and organ and bone marrow donation leave. Danny Hill, secretary of the VAU said this deal rewards longer serving ambos, it makes our elite MICA paramedics the highest paid in Australia, it rewards community officers for the time they contribute to their community, and most of all it will help members finish their shift on time and get home to their families. “Beyond wages and allowances, there are about 80 new or improved working conditions that help ambos have better work-life balance so that we retain them in the job for longer," Mr Hill said. "That is ultimately what we set out to achieve in this round of bargaining. “There is a lot more work to do including on ramping, response times, workload and morale. "This outcome will allow us to focus our full attention on working through those matters with AV and government." Ambulance Victoria said in a statement the in-principle agreement follows careful consideration of 800-plus submitted claims, where they heard directly from members about their experiences, and focused on key priority areas they identified. "We acknowledge that negotiations have taken longer than anyone had hoped, and recognise the impact this had on everyone at AV, along with our partners and community," the statement read. "We are hopeful this in-principle agreement creates a new and stronger foundation for collaboration, building of trust and cementing our position as a world-leading ambulance service."

Ambulance union secures in-principal deal

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