Ambulance officers strike as pay negotiations stall

Ambulance officers picket at the corner of Tay St and Elles Road in Invercargill on Tuesday...
Ambulance officers picket at the corner of Tay St and Elles Road in Invercargill on Tuesday morning. PHOTO: LUISA GIRAO
A group of ambulance officers took the streets of Invercargill yesterday to fight for better conditions and pay.

About 20 Hato Hone St John’s workers withdrew from their work for four hours as part of a national rally.

They made some noise and carried placards which included "SOS — Underfunded and Undervalued", "Striking for our rights, fighting for your lives."

First Union delegate Stefan Lozano said ambulance officers were underpaid and under-appreciated.

They had been negotiating with St John since the expiry of their Collective Agreement in December 2023 — but after nine months they felt they had no results.

"We want pay equity, to be equal to professionals in the healthcare sector."

"Obviously the workers that are here had to withdrew from the work they love.

"But we feel we don’t have another option.

He said it was hard to quantify as there were different scales and positions, but he believed on average the ambulance officers were paid about 20% less than other healthcare workers.

Mr Lozano also said they were aware of the important job they performed and the workers had a lot of pride in it.

But they felt they needed to be more valued by their employer.

"Can you imagine what it would be like if someone had a heart attack and nobody showed up?

"It would be a disaster."

Mr Lozano said Hato Hone St John were operating with 70% of normal capacity during the strike and another work withdrawal was expected for Saturday.