SIPTU recommends that members in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) accept proposals by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on pay and work practice changes in a ballot which could conclude a long-running dispute over changes to the service.
The proposals will see the implementation of recommendations contained in a review and examination of current EMT, paramedic and advanced paramedic roles in the National Ambulance Service. This independent report recommended changes to the service, including national recognition and transformation for EMTs, paramedics and advanced paramedics, and an examination of revised pay scales for key grades within the ambulance service.
“The WRC proposals will see the introduction of revised pay scales which recognise continuing professionalisation and upskilling undertaken by the majority of NAS staff members. The proposals will also see the standardisation of several elements across the country including the introduction of new grades,” according to John McCamley, SIPTU’s Ambulance Organiser.
“The proposals offer union members in NAS a chance to achieve pay justice and recognition of their continuing upskilling and professionalisation over many years. The proposals also set out a framework for the future of the ambulance service.”
He added that the proposals now present an opportunity to resolve a long-running dispute over implementation of vital recommendations from the 2020 independent report. “We are calling on the SIPTU members involved in this ballot, which will conclude on 1 September, to vote in favour of these proposals and bring an end to this long-running dispute and secure their future.”
SIPTU Health Divisional Organiser, Kevin Figgis, had said that the proposed agreement follows years of intense campaigning by the union to secure fair pay for ambulance personnel. He claimed that their essential frontline role in Ireland’s healthcare system had often been undervalued, adding that “once finalised, the new pay scales will recognise the skills, responsibilities and demanding nature of their work”.
