STAFF WRITERS
AMBULANCE Victoria and unions have reached an in-principle agreement over a new pay deal.
The settlement offer follows careful consideration of 800-plus submitted claims and focused on key priority areas identified by members of the Victorian Ambulance Union (VAU) and United Workers Union (UWU).
Following negotiations, which have taken more than 18 months to complete, Victoria’s paramedics are set to be among the highest paid in the country.
Under the agreement, wage increases will range from 16.98 to 33 per cent over four years, including 16.98 per cent (compounded) for most positions, more than 20 per cent (compounded) for experienced paramedics and an additional $12,500 relativity uplift for MICA paramedics delivering overall increases of up to 33 per cent.
There will 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, while other allowances will be improved.
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, will be taken out of service at the end of their shift and will only be contacted for confirmed life-threatening emergencies. Eighty-four additional communications staff will assist with end of shift management and supporting crews on road.
Ambulance Victoria Chief Executive Danielle North, VAU Secretary Danny Hill and UWU representative Fiona Scalon in a joint statement acknowledged negotiations took longer than anyone had hoped, and recognise the impact this had on everyone at the organisations and the community.
“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,” they said.
