Advanced Search

Share Coverage



Category: Industrial Relations

Patients not the target of paramedics' industrial action, union says

Wednesday, 11 May 2016 04:23:15 | Ted O'Connor

The union has been awaiting the Government's offer since February's talks wrapped up. (ABC News: Janek Frankowski)

The union representing Ambulance Tasmania workers says an industrial campaign borne of a wages dispute will not affect patients.

The Health and Community Services Union members began industrial action on Tuesday at 5:00pm.

They will not perform some administrative duties and some employees will wear clothing branded with union slogans.

HACSU state secretary Tim Jacobson described the industrial action as low key.

"It is all designed to have maximum effect on ambulance management and build the profile of paramedics," he said.

The union has been waiting for the State Government to come back with a final enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) pay offer after negotiations wrapped up in February.

"You can imagine the screaming from the Government were the unions to say to them in a response to a request that they made of the union, 'Look, I can't tell you exactly when we'll get back to you with that response but it will be in about a month'," Mr Jacobson said.

He said the industrial action would continue until the Government presented the pay offer.

The EBA period under negotiation is from mid-2014 to mid-2017.

Mr Jacobson said communications and management staff had not seen a pay rise since December 2013.

The State Industrial Commission ruled last year paramedics deserved a 14 per cent pay increase to reflect their increased work value.

"Even though we were able to achieve that outcome for paramedics, their salaries are falling behind others because we've got three years of enterprise bargaining to catch up on," Mr Jacobson said.

Mr Jacobson was not drawn on what he thought was an appropriate EBA, arguing it was up to the State Government to reveal their offer, leaving members to vote on whether to accept it.

The Health Minister Michael Ferguson was contacted for comment.

AustraliaPlus


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend