Budget must deliver for burnt-out St John workforce

Ambulance officers who work for Hato Hone St John say this week’s Budget must include real funding to improve pay and conditions or the Government risks driving more experienced paramedics offshore or back into industrial action.

Last week, ambulance delegates from across Aotearoa gathered in Auckland for a Workers First conference (photo attached) as the group prepares to enter bargaining again with the partially charity-funded ambulance provider. They also discussed their growing concerns about a workforce crisis that is being made worse by insufficient public health funding.

Faye McCann, Workers First National Ambulance Coordinator, said that this year’s Budget marks the final year of a four-year ambulance funding agreement, and last year’s negotiations had failed to substantially lift wages, address penal rates that are significantly lower than comparable health professions, or deliver the infrastructure needed to keep the service functioning successfully while meeting growing patient demand.

"We can’t keep plugging holes with goodwill and expecting ambulance officers to carry the cost of a broken system," said Ms McCann.

"Ambulance staff are already burnt out, understaffed, and responding to more mental health and high-risk incidents than ever before. It’s getting worse, especially in Auckland, where short staffing is at crisis levels even as the population grows and demand rises."

"Officers are leaving for Australia because the pay is better, the infrastructure is better, and the workload is safer. We’re losing people we can’t afford to lose."

Ms McCann said ambulance officers were dismayed that last year’s Budget failed to fulfil the National Party and New Zealand First’s coalition promise to increase the proportion of Government funding for the country’s ambulance services.

"When it comes to the Treaty Principles Bill or other dodgy political priorities, the coalition agreement framework between parties is treated like it’s enshrined in law - but when it comes to funding emergency services, that promise is suddenly a 'nice-to-have'," said Ms McCann.

She warned that unless this Budget delivers real improvements, ambulance officers could be forced back into the same impossible bargaining position as last year, when St John repeated that they couldn’t improve wages and conditions without additional Government funding.

"Some funding eventually came, but only after a national strike and a drawn-out, behind-closed-doors process that no one wants to repeat," said Ms McCann.

"We’re calling on the Government to fund ambulance services properly so that St John can offer decent wages, fair conditions, and a service that New Zealanders can actually rely on."

"Cuts to the broader health budget, or a failure to meet growing cost pressures and rising demand, will mean ambulance officers are the ones bearing the brunt of underfunding, and patients will be worse off for it."

"Ambulance services cannot be the casualty of another austerity Budget from this Government."

Ms McCann said that Workers First ambulance officers’ ultimate goal remained the full operational funding of emergency health services, and she believed that services like St John and Wellington Free fully supported that aim.