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The Victorian Ambulance Union Incorporated (VAU) have been negotiating with the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) on behalf of patient transport ambulance workers for a new enterprise agreement since August 2019. The parties were very close to achieving a positive outcome as recently as April 2020 with only 4 outstanding items to finalise to reach agreement at that time. Since 1 May 2020, RFDS have reneged on agreed claims and retracted their previous offer and are threatening to terminate their employee’s enterprise agreement if they don’t sign up to a proposed enterprise agreement that will result in employees being considerably worse off.

VAU members who work for RFDS are involved in Victoria’s COVID-19 response and have been working incredibly hard under difficult and stressful circumstances to care for and transport vulnerable people in the community. They work side by side with Ambulance Victoria paramedics to backup emergency crews and are equally exposed to the risks to their health and safety that all health workers are facing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

RFDS are now trying to introduce a two-tiered wage system that will see new employees of RFDS paid far less than current employees, including in some instances up to $220 less per week and have suggested that they may apply to terminate the enterprise agreement in the Fair Work Commission if employees do not accept what is clearly an unfair offer.

RFDS also want to:

• cut out the Nurse classifications from the current enterprise agreement;
• significantly reduce notice given for notification of changes to rosters (from 28 days to 7 days only), as well as the capacity for employees to agree upon roster changes;
• remove public holiday leave entitlements; and
• remove some allowances to be paid to employees.

RFDS members have expressed disgust with their employer’s tactics, including asking them to agree to a new agreement with the knowledge that their existing agreement may otherwise be terminated by RFDS if they do not agree and in circumstances where there will be two employees with the same qualifications operating the same ambulance, doing the same job, treating the same patient but with one being paid far less than the other.

Quotes attributed to Victorian Ambulance Union General Secretary Danny Hill:

“Threatening to tear up an enterprise agreement if employees don’t accept an unfair “offer” is the cruelest industrial act in the employer playbook”.

“These are hardworking health workers and for RFDS to launch this attack on them while dealing with the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic is utterly disgraceful and wrong”.

“RFDS are giving their employee’s an ultimatum with their latest offer but the members will not be accepting a deal that cuts the wages of their future workmates”.

“The RFDS image as a charitable organisation appears to have been forgotten by the company given how uncharitable they are now being towards their own staff.

Media Contact 

Danny Hill 

• General Secretary – Victorian Ambulance Union (VAU)
• Mobile: 0419 965 856
• [email protected]