Paramedics across NSW are gearing up for industrial action amid a desperate call to the state government to improve staffing levels and better working conditions.
The Australian Paramedics Association has banned all staff movements for 24 hours from the first day shift on Tuesday, with workers refusing to leave their allocated station to fill roster gaps.
In a sign of growing agitation with the state’s public sector, participating paramedics will only work out of the stations where they begin their shifts.
However, paramedics in the state’s north are being excluded from the industrial action due to the worsening flood disaster.
“TUESDAY FIRST DAY SHIFT. NO STAFF MOVEMENTS. NO R5,6,7 TRANSPORTS,” the union wrote on Facebook.
“We’re taking this action to fight for our safety, our communities’ safety, and our patients’ safety.
“We all deserve better than a Premier who turns his back on a crisis.”
The union is urging paramedics to get involved in the industrial action.
Paramedics are pushing for an additional 1500 staff and a pay rise of more than 2.5 per cent.
They say the lives of NSW residents are being put at risk because the government is delaying a “serious funxjmtzywding reform” for NSW Ambulance.
While the union represents thousands of paramedics, only a small percentage of the workforce will be participating in the action, which will be limited to intensive care paramedics.
Nurses across the state have also voted in favour of a strike on Thursday that could also run for 24 hours.
They are seeking a 4.75 per cent pay rise and are also asking for an increase in nurse-to-patient ratios on every shift.
They are also wanting a boost to maternity staff.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association held a strike on February 15 when thousands of nurses walked off the job for the first time in a decade.
Union representatives met Premier Dominic Perrottet and Health Minister Brad Hazzard just six days later where the issues of pay and staffing were raised, but nothing was resolved.
