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This regional bank is too important to close. Morwell Foodbank was officially opened last week, and is ready to help the community in need of essential supplies. STORY - PAGE 14 Photograph: Katrina Brandon
Fighting job fatigue By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT and STEFAN BRADLEY
LOCAL paramedics and union members last Thursday, tired and angry, protested outside the Morwell office of state government frontbencher Harriet Shing, with others meeting with Member for Gippsland South Danny O’Brien at his Sale office as part of a long-standing campaign over work conditions. Members of the VAU (Victoria Ambulance Union) demanded that Ms Shing, the Member for Eastern Victoria Region, support their fight for better working conditions to combat fatigue from long work hours. They also argued for further boosts to the healthcare budget. This follows a lengthy battle for stronger health and safety procedures for Victorian paramedics, whose concerns were brought to the brink after a life-threatening incident to North East Melbourne paramedic, Jim Avard, who fell asleep behind the wheel during an
18-and-a-half hour shift. The VAU have been desperately trying to reach a new agreement in principle with Ambulance Victoria through a new EBA (Enterprise Bargaining Agreement), but union members say that Ambulance Victoria isn’t prepared to come to the table. “The main thing is related to fatigue and end-of-shift management, we’re not actually asking for a bigger pay rise like the nurses, we’re asking for safer working conditions,” a delegate member of the VAU state council and local paramedic, Phill Bell said. “We’ve been saying to Ambulance Victoria, we want better end-of-shift management so that we’re not put in those positions where we’re trying to work and drive, 14, 15, 16 hours into the shift. It’s just not safe and it’s not fair, and that’s the issues where they aren’t willing to meet us (on), which is unreasonable.” The passionate yet fed up ambulance workers have been attempting to speak
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with Ms Shing but had not heard from her. The result was the demonstration at her Morwell office for hours to demand her to show her support by pushing for a rise in the ambulance budget. Bernard Goss, part of the VAU is a long-time Sale Ambulance Auxiliary member and paramedic of more than 45 years. He said it was not unusual for an ambulance to be ramped for eight or more hours during a shift as the paramedic must remain with the patient until the hospital is freed up, meaning they may only tend to one person during their shift. “The government needs to fix the rampings at the hospitals because ramping’s a big issue for the ambulances... that means that they can’t respond to any other jobs,” Mr Goss said. “So what we are wanting the government to do is fund the health services properly to enable it to work properly because it’s just not working at the moment.”
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Since the protest, Mr Goss said they’ve spoken to Harriet Shing. “(Ms Shing) is aware of some of the issues and she will speak to the Health Minister to put our concerns,” he said. “It’s a wait and see if they’ll do anything. “This is not so much about trying to get a big pay rise or anything, it’s about working conditions improving so that people actually have a work-life balance.” In a statement to the Gippsland Times, a state government spokesperson said that workplace bargaining in this matter is between Ambulance Victoria and the Victorian Ambulance Union. “We value the dedication and hard work that our paramedics do every day - they play a critical role in keeping Victorians healthy and safe, and we thank them for their service to the state,” the spokesperson said. Continued - Page 5
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