| What: | Ambulance Victoria Fleet logistics (ambulance maintenance) workers on strike for 24 hours will rally outside Ambulance Victoria Boundary Street, Port Melbourne |
| When: | 9am – workers gathering for rally outside Ambulance Victoria offices |
| Where: | Ambulance Victoria Boundary Street, Port Melbourne.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cB94jHh4M3DVU28T7
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| Who: | Ambulance Victoria Fleet Manager Centre Officers, United Workers Union officials |
United Workers Union members employed in metropolitan fleet management roles at Ambulance Victoria are stopping work for 24 hours on Friday December 12, stepping up the pressure on the Victorian Health Minister to deliver an equitable pay offer for Ambulance Victoria fleet staff and end the two-tier pay structure within Ambulance Victoria.
Fleet Manager Centre Officers (FMC) are responsible for organising the maintenance of over 500 emergency ambulance vehicles. FMC ensure that ambulances are roadworthy, repaired and restocked with lifesaving equipment for paramedics.
Over the 24-hour strike, FMC will not attend the workplace or address minor and major faults, instead forcing Ambulance Victoria to send tow trucks to retrieve broken-down vehicles. This action will not impact the provision of patient care.
United Workers Union members at Ambulance Victoria have been engaged in a series of work bans as part of protected industrial action which have been running since November 21.
UWU Fleet members are seeking a package that reflects the skill and responsibility of their work and will end a two-tier pay structure.
Quotes attributable to UWU Public Sector Coordinator Fiona Scalon
“The public rarely sees the work undertaken by Ambulance Victoria support staff, but every Victorian relies on it. Behind every paramedic on the road is a Fleet Management Officer ensuring that the ambulance is roadworthy and able to safely transport critically ill patients to hospital, safely. Their role within our state’s ambulance service is essential, because without them AV stops.”
Quotes attributable to United Workers Union member Frank Fragapane, Fleet Logistics Officer, Ambulance Victoria
“When an ambulance breaks down with a patient in the back, we are the ones who fix it, get the truck back on the road and get the patient safely to hospital. Without us, another ambulance crew would be deployed to retrieve the stranded patient, taking another ambulance off the road, when there are critically ill patients awaiting care. That’s why my job is essential to Ambulance Victoria, but sadly the pay and conditions don’t reflect this.”