Media release – Health and Community Services Union, 20 December 2022
Paramedics consider escalating industrial action over government failure to address fatigue, ambulance ramping
Paramedics and ambulance workers across Tasmania are considering escalating industrial action as over 90% of union members reject another wages and conditions offer from the government that fails to address fatigue or ambulance ramping.
Tasmania’s paramedics are the second-lowest paid of any state in the country and are on track to becoming the worst paid, fueling concerns about recruitment and retention of ambulance first responders.
“We have had deaths at the ramp,” said HACSU Industrial Manager Robbie Moore. “We have paramedics’ shifts going unfilled. What is it going to take for the government to step up and take action to fix these issues?”
“Our ambos are working their guts out trying to save lives,” said Robbie Moore. “We can’t keep treating them like this. It’s a risk to them as much as it’s a risk to our community.”
Ambulance workers will meet today to plan the next steps in the campaign to force the government to make an offer that takes these critical safety concerns seriously, with escalating industrial action likely.
