All updates – Page 14 – Ambulance Employees Australia

ESTA Staffing Review Update

The AEAV has been at ESTA sites Tally Ho and BalSECC to...

FWA changes are not the full picture

AEAV has been in consultation with AV regarding a proposed change to the wording of rural ‘spare’ FWA contracts. AEAV has informed AV that we cannot and will not endorse the proposed amendments as the AEAV does not believe the contract should be ‘buttered up’ to make it look better than it actually is.

The proposal is to remove wording which was causing concern amongst staff. The AEAV does not support the removal because the new FWA template does not accurately reflect the conditions on which a rural paramedic can have their roster changed without mutual agreement. AV has confirmed that Clauses 37 and 43 of the 2020 EA will remain the overriding principles and the exclusion of the disputed clauses is for cosmetic reasons only.

The relevant clauses of the 2020 AV Enterprise Agreement are:

37.1 Resources will be allocated to meet service demand. Employees will be required to perform all work they are competent to perform and accept the requirement for flexibility in relation to work arrangements and mobility between work locations to meet the Employer’s operational and service delivery requirements.

43.2 The Employer can change a roster on 28 days’ notice to the affected employees or a lesser period by agreement with the employee or in the case of an unforeseen or urgent circumstance.

43.3 The Employer can change start and finish times, without agreement subject to 28 days’ notice to the affected employees and consultation so employees have the opportunity to raise issues with their personal and family circumstances.

Removing this wording from the FWA contract has no effect on the right of AV to change your roster times and location as specified above. The EA is the underpinning rules of your employment and will remain so. Although the incidence is rare, it is still a right that AV has, irrespective of the wording in the FWA. Members can still lodge a grievance if the change does not suit personal and family circumstances.

The AEAV believes that members should be fully informed and AV should not succumb to pressure from external parties to incorrectly inform staff that the only time your roster can be changed is by mutual agreement. This is simply not the case and as your Union it is our responsibility to ensure that you are informed.

The advice from AV is that after considerable pressure they are going to amend the FWA template anyway, despite their initial intention to ensure that staff are fully informed.

This highlights the issues around rural ‘spares’ which have been ignored for 10 years. The AEAV has ensured that the rules around rural ‘spare’ will be addressed over the next 12 months. To have your say on the rural ‘spare’ issue contact us at [email protected] or call us on 9287 1713.

FWA changes are not the full picture

AEAV has been in consultation with AV regarding a proposed change to...

Covid Vaccinations

Since news of the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccines, representatives of the United Workers Union have been in regular contact with Federal, State and Territory governments to ensure our front-line members, like those working in Ambulance, are part of the dialogue. As the AEAV is part of one of the biggest union’s in the country and is the biggest union for ambulance employees your voice is heard on this issue.

At an initial meeting with the Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on 13 January 2021, UWU, along with the Australian Nurses and Midwifery Federation and other health unions identified many questions about the approval process, the efficacy of the vaccine, and of the roll out that AEAV members require answers to.

Since then, your union has had a detailed technical briefing with the Chief Medical Officer at a federal level and continuing to be involved in discussions with Department of Health officials in each state and territory as the roll out commenced this week.

Some of the information regarding this is available on the UWU website. https://www.unitedworkers.org.au/vaccine/. The landscape is changing day to day and any updates will be provided via this link.

You will see that there are references to “ambulance subgroups” being part of group 1a. While where possible all Ambulance employees will be part of group 1a, priority is being given to those who work in the areas responsible for responding to hotel quarantine or international border entry as these have been identified as high-risk areas.

The roll out of the vaccine is being managed by the Federal Government and state Departments of Health are working to operationalise this happening. Ambulance services are part of this picture but are not in control of dictating the priority areas.

The limitations around transporting the Pfizer vaccine also pose logistical issues for Ambulance members in more remote areas of Australia. These issues are being worked through with each state jurisdictional service.

All ambulance staff should be prepared that while there are no mandatory directives around the vaccine in the broader community, PPE will continue to be part of business as usual.

If you have specific questions which are unable to be answered from the information contained at https://www.unitedworkers.org.au/vaccine/ please don’t hesitate to contact the AEAV office at 03 9287 1713 or [email protected]

Covid Vaccinations

Since news of the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccines, representatives of...

Ketamine Incidents

Environmental/occupational exposure to Ketamine happens and the consequences can be catastrophic if you work for Ambulance Victoria. The smallest detected amount in your system can severely damage your career and your mental health.

AV have made no effort to this point to understand how occupational exposure occurs, however they have been very quick to deem everyone with a non-negative test result guilty of using Ketamine. This is a risk to your health and safety and AV have a responsibility to mitigate that risk.

Ambulance Victoria’s zero-tolerance drug policy has resulted in Paramedics being stood down for extended months at a time, pending a half-baked investigation. The levels detected are generally below internationally acceptable levels and are indicative of occupational exposure, not ingestion.

Given that the source of the miniscule test results has not been identified by AV we are encouraging staff to take action to protect themselves. In any situation where you are in contact with an open ampoule or vial of Ketamine you should complete the following steps:

Document the exposure via an incident report (estimated completion time less than 5 minutes)

If a colleague is present, record them as a witness

Contact the Union to discuss any other steps you may need to take

We also encourage you to download our ketamine poster with a QR code to a shortened online incident report form, and put it up in your branch so you have quick and easy access.

Ketamine Incidents

Environmental/occupational exposure to Ketamine happens and the consequences can be catastrophic if...

Workplace Behaviours Survey For Worksafe

WorkSafe are currently reviewing Workplace Behaviours training at Ambulance Victoria. The AEAV...

Workplace Behaviours Survey for WorkSafe

WorkSafe are currently reviewing Workplace Behaviours training at Ambulance Victoria. The AEAV conducted a survey to gather information in support of the review.

The key takeaways are –

Training is usually provided by someone without qualifications in the area

Training is rarely offered as a refresher. Most people can’t remember when they last did it, a lot of people can’t remember whether they did it at all

Training has not resulted in any observable improvements in workplace behaviours

Training is rarely provided to managers about their obligations around managing workplace behaviours or in how they treat staff, when it is provided it is limited training (such as a handbook)

The results from the survey are below.

Workplace Behaviours Survey for WorkSafe

WorkSafe are currently reviewing Workplace Behaviours training at Ambulance Victoria. The AEAV...

ESTA Staffing Review Recommendations

The AEAV Staffing Review recommendations are downloadable for review and feedback. These...

Health Worker Immunisation Roll-Out

We have been meeting at both a National and State level with...

Health Worker Immunisation Roll-out

We have been meeting at both a National and State level with relevant minsters and advisors to get information on the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccinations. Meetings are ongoing so if you have queries, please let us know. At this stage we have been advised that Health Workers have been split into two categories for access to the vaccination. The majority of operational staff will be classified as category 1a, meaning they will get first access to the Pfizer vaccination.

Staff will be further prioritized to ensure that frontline workers at risk of encountering Covid-19 through direct patient care will be prioritised, meaning that both Paramedics and Patient Transport Officers are scheduled to have access to the vaccine in its first stage.

Category 1a is estimated to be completed in approximately 3 weeks (provided sufficient vaccines are available), with 6 regional vaccination hubs to be set up across the state, and vaccinations will be provided at several hospitals in Melbourne.

The speed of immunization depends on numbers of vaccinations available and on people available to administer the vaccine, at this point Victoria are looking to upskill additional RN’s and medication qualified EN’s, Paramedics and some latter year students to assist. The vaccinations will not be considered mandatory for health workers, despite requirements in the Ambulance Act.

If you have queries about the process for Covid-19 vaccinations, please contact the AEAV office on 03 9287 1713.

Health Worker Immunisation Roll-out

We have been meeting at both a National and State level with...

ESTA Staffing Review Recommendations

The AEAV Staffing Review recommendations are downloadable for review and feedback.

These recommendations have been developed through conducting surveys of members and through listening to individual experiences. The submission aims to cover the concerns raised by operations staff about lack of staff, lack of access to leave, issues with ongoing training and career progression.

Final dates for submission to the review are not yet available, and we look forward to making our final submission to the review.

AEAV – ESTA STAFFING REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS

ESTA Staffing Review Recommendations

The AEAV Staffing Review recommendations are downloadable for review and feedback. These...