Paramedics across NSW have voted continue industrial action after the NSW Government sought orders from the Industrial Relations Commission to stop the action, saying they will not be silenced.
The dispute orders were applied late on Thursday afternoon, following a rushed hearing requested by the Premier’s lawyers . The union was ordered to cease their week-long ban on staff movements which had started earlier that day.
On Friday, however, members voted to continue the action.
APA (NSW) Acting Secretary Brendan McIlveen said “We will not be cowed by a Government that seeks to silence Paramedics, instead of listening to our reasonable demands for fair pay and critical changes to the emergency healthcare system.”
“Paramedics are fighting not only for our pay and conditions, but for every single person in NSW who relies on the emergency healthcare service to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.”
“We know that Paramedics are leaving NSW in droves because of low wages. Three years of real pay cuts in a row has made it utterly unsustainable for our Paramedics to stay in the force.”
“Regional communities are woefully lacking in specialist paramedics and ramping at hospitals state-wide is consistently leaving patients in bed block for hours.”
“We can’t sit around hoping for these critical issues to be addressed, and we won’t be bullied out of fighting for them.”
The union says that Paramedics have had enough of waiting for the new government to deliver on the promises they were elected on.
“After spending years waxing lyrical about the importance of Paramedics and frontline workers through the COVID-19 pandemic, for the Minns Government to ignore us is shameful,” continued Mr McIlveen.
“Instead of supporting us, they’re doing everything they can to shut us up, including seeking court orders and threats of massive fines.”
“Our members have proudly voted to stand firm together and continue this industrial action, and we plan to do so for the good of Paramedics in this state and the communities we serve.”
Key Facts:
Paramedics across NSW have voted continue industrial action after the NSW Government sought orders from the Industrial Relations Commission to stop the action, saying they will not be silenced.
Contact details:
Contact: Catherine Treloar (Organiser) 0432 415 303