Monday 9 January, 2016

Ambulance officers deserve better - CTU

The Council of Trade Unions is calling for St Johns to value its ambulance professionals and return to talks in good faith.

Ambulance officers are entering their third month of limited strike action after collective agreement negotiations broke down. The officers are calling for fairer pay, proper rest breaks and ensuring ambulances are staffed properly to protect the public.

Late last week St Johns applied to pull out of negotiations with FIRST Union despite not having concluded an agreement, which CTU president Richard Wagstaff described as a serious move in the wrong direction.

"Ambulance professionals have public welfare at heart. They are proud to serve our communities but they cant do their job properly unless they have adequate staffing and decent breaks. They also must be paid fairly," he said.

"We are calling on St Johns to return to the negotiations with a commitment to reaching an agreement," Richard Wagstaff said.

Members of the public are lending their support to the ambulance professionals at the CTU's digital campaigns site Together in an open letter to St Johns CEO Peter Bradley - http://www.together.org.nz/ambos.

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