Ambulance Victoria paramedics score 17 per cent pay rise

Ambulance Victoria paramedics are set to be among the highest paid in Australia under a wage deal that was struck after a long-running industrial dispute.

Most paramedics will receive a 16.98 per cent pay boost over four years as part of the deal. Picture: David Crosling

A new wage deal will make Victorian paramedics among the best paid in the nation and end a months-long war with the Allan government, at a cost of $600m to taxpayers.

Victorian Ambulance Union boss Danny Hill revealed the in-principle agreement on Monday night.

Under the deal, most paramedics will get a 16.98 per cent pay boost over four years, while experienced “ambos” will get an increase of more than 20 per cent.

MICA paramedics – who have a higher clinical skillset and perform more advanced medical procedures – will receive a $12,500 uplift, which will take their overall increases to more than 33 per cent.

Victorian Ambulance Union boss Danny Hill said an in-principal agreement had been reached.

The in-principle agreement potentially means the end of one of three pay disputes with the state’s emergency services.

But paramedics still need to sign off on it.

In a bid to combat rising burnout, the agreement will force Ambulance Victoria to take paramedics out of service at the end of their shift and only contact them in confirmed life-threatening emergencies.

Paramedics also won’t do lower-acuity cases within the last hour of their shift. As well, a new $5 per hour availability allowance will be paid to rural ambulance community officers prepared to volunteer their time in their home town.

In July, VAU members laun­ched a no-confidence motion in the Ambulance Victoria executive, which led to the resignation of chief executive Jane Miller.

In a statement, acting Ambulance Victoria chief Danielle North said the settlement offer followed “careful consideration of 800-plus submitted claims”.

“We are hopeful this in-principle agreement creates a new and stronger foundation for collaboration, building of trust and cementing our position as a world-leading ambulance service,” she said.

Mr Hill said the deal would make Victorian paramedics am­ong the nation’s highest paid.

“Most of all, it will help our members finish their shift on time and get home to their families,” he said.

“There are about 80 new or improved working conditions that help ambos have better work-life balance.

“There is a lot more work to do including on ramping, response times, workload and morale. This outcome will allow us to focus our full attention on working through those issues.”

The Allan government remains locked in wage disputes with police and firefighters.

In July, the police union reached an in-principle agreement with Victoria Police that was later rejected by rank-and-file officers.

It would have resulted in the introduction of nine-hour shifts and a nine-day fortnight for frontline police as part of a $500m deal.

Now, a fresh log of claims is calling for 6 per cent annual pay rises over the next four years amid renewed industrial action.

The militant United Firefighters Union is also in a protracted pay dispute after rejecting a 12 per cent pay increase over four years and thousands of dollars in cash bonuses.

Instead, it is fighting for a 25 per cent rise over three years and $117m in bonuses. Combined, the government faces an estimated $2bn in extra wages to seal all three deals.

A government spokeswoman said the in-principle agreement for paramedics was “sustainable” and offered “a better work-life balance”.

Minister Ingrid Stitt on Tuesday said the in-principle agreement was “really good news”.

She, however, dodged questions about where the $600 million would be drawn.

She denied that the government was being financially irresponsible by offering the huge pay packet, saying it was in accordance with government wages policy.

Originally published as Ambulance Victoria paramedics score 17 per cent pay rise