Last Thursday, Ambulance Victoria provided two second package offers for union members to consideration. Both offers include the provisions outlined in Ambulance Victoria’s initial offer in December which can be found on workplace. The total funding package amounts to $93.4M which will not cover the total needs of all staff across the service.
The two second packages that Ambulance Victoria provided are as follows:
Option One –
- MICA Salary Uplift
- MICA Program Salary Maintenance
- Improvements to End of Shift (namely no Code 3’s in last hour) and the current policy dispatch warnings when shift bis extended
- Yr 12 increment introduced (EXCLUDING ACOs and Fleet)
- Plus the settlement offer made on December 20
Option Two –
- Union members to decide how the $93.4M should be spent.
Option One fails to meet the needs of Administrative members who are seeking wage transparency and a pay rise, Fleet Maintenance Officers in need of increased banding, ACOs seeking recognition or Paramedics desperately needing to finish work on time.
To ask union members to decide how funding should be spent is ridiculous. “I guess we can’t be surprised by the divide and conquer tactic,” said an Admin member at a recent union meeting. “We won’t be divided.”
Ambulance Victoria has engaged assistance from ex-Fair Work Commission M Bissett to mediate/conciliate an outcome for the rest of the bargaining process.
On Thursday, the Commissioner heard from all parties to ascertain where bargaining is currently placed. Her remarks at the end of the conference were that there is a long way to go.
The AEAV/UWU ballot to take protected action is now open and will close at 2pm this Wednesday. If you haven’t voted YES, please do so immediately.
