Paramedics Survey Show Govt Action on Pay Demands Dangerously Overdue
The alarming results of a survey of working conditions of NSW paramedics released today must be the catalyst for the NSW Government to act on their demands for better pay and conditions, says Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP and health spokesperson.
The survey released today by the Australian Paramedics Association found:
- 87% of respondents missed more than half their scheduled breaks during the past month
- 80% said that in the last month they have felt too fatigued to drive home safely, and over the same timeframe 30% reported being asked to respond to a patient after identifying they were fatigued.
“Paramedics have been raising the alarm about working conditions for years yet they’ve been ignored. Despite their continued pleas for support, this Government has just sat by and watched as the risks to patients and paramedics have dramatically increased over the past few years alone,” said Ms Faehrmann.
“Paramedics have no choice but to take industrial action because the Perrottet Government has shown that it doesn’t care about the conditions they’re working under which are literally putting the lives of paramedics and their patients in danger every day.
“These conditions are not sustainable. Ambulance NSW risks seeing mass resignations if something isn’t done now.
“Paramedics' demands are simple and reasonable. They want fair pay and they want to feel safe at work. Yet the Liberal-National government can’t even give them that.
“This survey is just one more sign that the state’s healthcare system, and its frontline healthcare workers, are at breaking point. The NSW Government needs to stop crying poor and prioritise supporting our healthcare workers or risk our healthcare system falling apart,” said Ms Faehrmann.