News

On 28 November 2023, the Victorian Ambulance Union Incorporated (VAU), together with the Communications Workers Union (CWU), United Firefighter Union (UFU) and the United Workers Union (UWU) were successful in securing a Protected Action Ballot Order (PABO) from the Fair Work Commission (FWC). Now that the order has been made, VAU ESTA members who have nominated the VAU as their bargaining representative will have an opportunity to vote on whether to approve the proposed industrial actions (IA). We congratulate 92% of eligible members nominating the VAU, which is the largest percentage of nominations we have received in any bargaining process.

The ballot will be conducted by CiVS electronically via email. It will open from 0900 Thursday, 7 December 2023 and close at 1400 Tuesday, 12 December 2023.

Just prior to the ballot opening you will be emailed an Instruction Sheet from CiVS. The Instruction Sheet will contain the web address for the voting website, a randomly generated internet voting password and instructions on how to vote.

VOTE YES TO ALL ACTIONS!

Voting ‘Yes’ does not obligate participation in that particular action. The vote, however, is critical to advance the Unions claims in bargaining and send a clear message to ESTA management and the Government that you deserve better.

Once you have gained access to the voting website you will be asked if you support the following actions. You will be required to tick Yes [  ]  or  No [  ].

Questions

1. An indefinite ban on using personally assigned Computer Aided Dispatch and/or telephony logins.
2. An indefinite ban on processing all Non-Emergency Patient Transport requests unless lodged via telephone.
3. An indefinite ban on notifying FRV or CFA Duty Officers, Commanders and Fire Services Communications Controllers of all incidents unless response related.
4. Employees will undertake stoppages to the performance of duties – other than activities related to emergency response – to not comply with Control Room Protocols. In particular employees will not comply with the protocol regarding taking photographs on the control room floor
5. Employees will not perform work unless they are able to publish information on Social Media during work time relating to enterprise bargaining issues, industrial issues and conditions of employment for ESTA operational staff.
6. Employees will undertake stoppages to the performance of duties – other than activities related to emergency response – to participate in an unlimited number of briefings and interviews over an unlimited duration to the media, politicians and the public regarding enterprise bargaining issues, industrial issues and conditions of employment for ESTA operational staff.
7. An indefinite ban on employees accurately reporting or recording false alarm codes and/or reasoning/explanations for the false alarms triggered at protected premises.
8. An indefinite ban on employees participating in or conducting any online training.
9. An indefinite ban on employees conducting Call-Taker or Dispatcher training courses unless there is a ratio of 1 Trainer to 4 Participants, and the Trainer conducting the course has completed a Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training and is trained in the service that is being taught.
10. An indefinite ban on Team Leaders participating in/or conducting any process relating to employee misconduct and disciplinary matters.
11. An indefinite ban on employees conducting or recording audits.
12. An indefinite ban on employees signing off/or reviewing audits.
13. An indefinite ban on employees replying to observation and/or compliance reports.
14. Employees will undertake stoppages to the performance of duties – other than activities related to emergency response – where employees will set up an automated out of office reply function on their ESTA email, which will set out why they are taking industrial action.
15. An indefinite ban on employees complying with the standard protocols regarding the end of radio transmissions. Employees will instead conclude radio transmissions with union messages or with short updates regarding industrial and or bargaining matters.
16. An indefinite ban on employees accurately reporting or recording event types.
17. Employees will undertake stoppages to the performance of duties – other than activities related to emergency response – to use the CFA and/or FRV non- emergency circuit of the emergency alerting pager system to send campaign and/or industrial messages.
18. An indefinite ban on employees multi-selecting channels.
19. An indefinite ban on employees implementing and/or maintaining a channel patching arrangement where multi-selecting would be required.
20. An indefinite ban on employees undertaking reception duties.
21. An indefinite ban on employees opening and closing front and/or rear gates.
22. An indefinite ban on employees recording or selecting specific or accurate disposition codes. Employees will record/select a generic and/or randomised disposition code.
23. An indefinite ban on employees recording or selecting specific or accurate call source codes. Employees will record/select a generic/randomised call source code or no call source code.
24. An indefinite ban on employees participating in or conducting performance feedback.
25. An indefinite ban on employees changing status of crews.
26. An indefinite ban on employees using the “create” function when a call is taken. Instead, the Call-Taker will use a create function prior to the call being taken.
27. An indefinite ban on employees using the attempt to dispatch and/or no nearby units function.
28. An indefinite ban on employees ticking the ‘significant’ box and/or ‘suspicious’ box in the Computer Aided Dispatch software.
29. An indefinite ban on employees dispatching an event to the Fire Services Communications Controller or Rostered Duty Officer mnemonic.
30. An indefinite ban on employees signing off ‘comms bulletin’ updates.
31. An indefinite ban on employees using the duplicating and cancelling events function.
32. An indefinite ban on employees creating an impound event.
33. An indefinite ban on employees arranging move ups and or step ups.
34. An indefinite ban on employees taking their breaks at the assigned times.
35. An indefinite ban on employees sitting at assigned workstations.
36. An indefinite ban on employees working on channels as specified in the roster.
37. An indefinite ban on employees utilising the paging system to notify FRV employees of the Commander Recall list.
38. An indefinite ban on actioning any and all FRV & CFA EXEC & CMDR (i.e. station officers and/or commanders) non-current event related movements (who are not attached to an event), including logging on/off, location changes & status changes.
39. An indefinite ban on recording or repeating all SITREP’s and MESSAGES once an event has an Under Control (UC) or Stop (ST) status.
40. An indefinite ban on processing all business calls that are not received via phone, (including those received via fax, email or Burnoff-Bot).
41. An Indefinite ban on employees processing non-urgent faxes, burnoff emails and/or business/non-emergency emails while logged into the phone queue or actively undertaking the dispatch role.
42. An indefinite ban on using “Recommended Closest Unit (RCU)” function in ERTCOMM.
43. An indefinite ban on performing and recording status checks for ERTCOMM and NETCOMM dispatch.
44. on performing sign-on sheets whilst performing duties.
45. An indefinite ban on completing the ambulance unit line up sheet.
46. An indefinite ban on recording delays on arrival times.
47. An indefinite ban on ERTCOMM Call-Takers using recorded voice announcement.
48. An indefinite ban on Team Leaders and Assistant Team Leaders communicating nuisance caller details to operational employees.
49. An indefinite ban on the use of fault reporting and messaging software.
50. Employees will not perform work unless they are able to record and/or broadcast over the radio how many Call-Takers are logged in to take calls.
51. An indefinite ban on creating a record of any employees’ participation in protected industrial action.

In Solidarity.