Lucas’ offer to hire 50 extra ambulance officers comes with strings

The State Government will offer to hire an extra 50 ambulance officers – but wants a trade-off of roster reforms.

The State Government today will offer to employ at least 50 extra ambulance officers in a bid to improve services and end the ongoing industrial dispute with the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA).

Treasurer Rob Lucas also promised the government will invest in even more ambulance officers once all enterprise bargaining negotiations with the union have been finalised.

He said the extra 50 officers are in addition to the 187 employed between July 2018 and June 2020, and 76 additional staff budgeted for this year.

The trade-off is the immediate end of industrial action, roster reform to cut 12 hours shifts to eight or 10 hours, and crews agreeing to take breaks at the nearest ambulance station rather than driving to their home base.

The union says it is open to roster reform but not watering down members’ conditions, and today AEA state secretary Phil Palmer dismissed the offer as “BS”.

He has indicated the union wants around 300 extra staff.

Mr Lucas said ambulance crews sometimes drive up to 35km past several stations to return to their home base for a meal break.

“We have always said we are willing to put in more resources, and today we are announcing that we have offered to immediately invest in at least an extra 50 ambulance officers conditional upon the union agreeing to roster reform, ambos taking meal breaks at their nearest station and cessation of industrial action,” he said.

A sign written on the side of a ramped ambulance.

“We recognise the enormous contribution our hardworking ambos make to our community and this offer will help ensure they can deliver the best possible service to South Australians while reducing fatigue and improving work-life balance.

“The Government has also committed to employing even more ambos upon full resolution of enterprise bargaining negotiations.

“However, we know that more staff alone is not going to deliver the safest and highest quality ambulance service and help solve the issue of ramping, which is why we also need sensible industrial reforms.

“The reality is these reforms are necessary in order to properly heal our health system. If it was just a matter of hiring more ambos, then ambulance delays would not be a problem because we have already employed more than 200 extra staff.”

The AEA and government were ordered into mediation by president of the SA Employment Tribunal Justice Steven Dolphin when the union took industrial action after the government failed to respond to an ultimatum to deliver more resources.

That mediation resumes at 9am today.

AEA state secretary Phil Palmer today called the offer of 50 extra staff “BS” and accused Mr Lucas of being disrespectful to the mediation process.

He said the SA Ambulance Service needs 70 to 80 extra officers by the end of the year and more after that.

“If that is what’s coming to the table this morning then the trouble starts again,” he said on radio FIVEaa, warning that industrial action would start again if the situation was not resolved.

He said it was “galling” that public safety was being negotiated as part of an enterprise bargaining process.

Mr Lucas said the dispute will only be resolved if both sides are prepared to compromise, stressing the changes to rosters and where crews take meal breaks must be part of that compromise.

Last Friday night when ambulances resources were stretched two elderly people died after delays in responses to their calls for help, with the union saying the lives may have been saved if there were enough ambulances to respond in the recommended time. Both deaths have been referred to the Coroner.

SA Ambulance Service officials note the majority of shifts commence and finish between 6pm and 7pm and the current industrial arrangements mean that lower acuity cases await an ambulance response while 32 of 46 crews attempt to finish work.