Paramedics will only attend life-threatening emergencies next week as pay stoush heats up

Paramedics in the health union will only attend the most urgent life-threatening emergencies next week as the latest pay dispute reaches breaking point.

Paramedics are planning on industrial action in June, 2021, to draw attention to the poor pay and conditions. File photo: Aisling Brennan

Paramedics will only attend the most urgent and life-threatning emergencies on June 10 as part of the stoush over their latest pay offer.

The Health Services Union says NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet’s proposed 1.5 per cent pay increase comes after 2020’s paltry 0.3 per cent pay rise, and was again less than inflation.

The union’s vice president and northern sector councillor, Steve Fraser, said paramedics in NSW were the worst paid in the country.

Mr Fraser, an intensive care paramedic, said he had no doubt some of the Northern Rivers 450 paramedics would be considering working over the state border but still living in NSW.

“Just across the border in Queensland, their paramedics are among the best paid in the nation,” he said.

“Around 18 months ago the average paramedic there can earn around $1700 a week compared to NSW where you earn $1456,” he said.

“NSW paramedics are highly trained, university trained, qualified and registered professionals who make life saving decisions every shift.”

Intensive care paramedic and acting station officer at Evans Head, Ben Fisher, 51, said the Northern Rivers community was in danger of losing some of its best paramedics if the treasurer did not treat the profession with respect.

Mr Fisher said he had been approached by colleagues looking for a reference so they can work over the border.

He said one local paramedic had already left the region to work for Queensland Ambulance Service.

“I have had some current qualified road staff paramedics asking if I will provide a reference for a job application to work with Queensland Ambulance,” he said.

“Locally, the general morale of North Coast paramedics is probably at rock bottom.”

Mr Fisher has been a paramedic for 25 years and said every time a colleague moved away due to low pay, it was a genuine loss for the community.

“When paramedics graduate and come here to work they are often already burdened with a HECS debt of $80,000,” he said.

“Plus you are moving to work in a coastal area where you need a million dollars to buy a house.

“For whatever reason the state and federal treasurers are droning on and on about wage growth being essential but steadfastly refuse to enable their own policies.”

Mr Fisher reassured the community that paramedics will attend life threatening emergencies on June 10.

“People need to understand, what we are doing is stopping our routine work not as emergency responses,” he said.

“The most common job we get is non urgent routine transfers between hospitals such as someone with a mental health issue or an infected toe.”

Meanwhile, HSU secretary, Gerard Hayes, said the proposed pay rise was an insult.

“Under this the paramedics after tax would get the equivalent of 70 cups of coffee a year,” he said.

“In the last year paramedics were exposed to Covid and floods and before that, the ravages of bushfire.

“NSW paramedics are at breaking point.

“They’re not trying to get rich, they just want a fair pay rise that recognises the cost of living and the intensity of their work.”