SIPTU members in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) are balloting for industrial action over the failure to implement recommendations of a 2020 Independent report (sometimes referred to as the Roles and Responsibilities Review), which addressed updating salary scales.
Over the last 15 years, there have been significant changes in members’ responsibilities and workload, yet there has been no recognition of these changes in pay.
This dispute involves members working as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Paramedics, Advanced Paramedics, Paramedic Specialists and Paramedic Supervisors.
Operational practice guidelines for dealing with different incidents have increased dramatically over the years, including the need for additional training and qualifications.
SIPTU Ambulance Sector Organiser, John McCamley, stated that these changes have shifted the service from a patient transport model to a pre-hospital care service.
He noted that EMTs and Paramedics have increased their responsibility for administering various medications by 89% and 83%, respectively, since 2011.
McCamley also highlighted that SIPTU members in the National Ambulance Service are highly trained and educated health professionals who operate in a largely autonomous and sometimes hazardous environment.
“Our members have to exercise clinical judgement, deliver complex and lifesaving care, including the administration of medications. They perform lifesaving interventions and make complex decisions about specific care pathways,” he said.
McCamley added that, due to the length of time it has taken to address pay disparity between ambulance personnel and other health professionals, members have been left with no option but to ballot for industrial action, up to and including strike action.
“We call on the HSE and the Department of Health to review their position on introducing additional workplace changes without addressing these longstanding issues,” he said.