News

0% INCREASE FOR AMBULANCE ATTENDANTS

NPT put forward their latest offer for wages and conditions on 17 June 2026, which is unfortunately still far below the real wage increases that the VAU have been fighting for. While some progress has been made in other areas, the feedback we have heard from members is that a substantial wage increase is by far their highest priority. Up to this point, NPT has outright rejected 30 other claims without providing any alternative or compromise, while many other claims have been met with disappointing counter-offers. NPT’s position is that accepting those other claims would limit their ability to increase wages.

NPT’S OFFER

This all leads to NPT’s latest offer, seven months into bargaining, where Ambulance Attendants (ATAs) would receive a 0% increase upon signing the agreement. All employees would then receive a 3% bump in July 2027 with no CPI safety net, and then an offer of 5% or CPI (whichever is higher) in July 2028.

Under our previous agreement, employees receive a CPI increase automatically on 1 July every year until a new agreement is reached. NPT are offering no additional increase above CPI for ATAs for 2026. In addition, inflation will almost certainly be higher than 3% in July 2027.

This means that ATAs are currently being offered a pay reduction for two years in exchange for signing the agreement, until July 2028, when they may or may not receive an actual increase. In short, NPT are giving ATAs no reason to vote yes to the agreement.

Meanwhile, NPT has made an offer to Patient Transport Officers (PTOs) that seems positive at first, with apparently attractive headline numbers. However, these numbers are undermined if members recall that NPT’s PTO wages fell below legislated award minimums last year, which meant that there was no longer any difference in pay between PTO years 3, 4 and 5, with all PTOs being paid less than their counterparts at St John and RFDS.

After refusing to honour that relativity when the VAU requested, they now want to sell you on this agreement by simply restoring the pay cut you took last year and claiming that it is a 10% increase for years 4 and 5. This is the equivalent of the supermarket raising the price and then telling you you’re getting the item on a 20% sale. The pay hasn’t changed, but the numbers are manipulated to trick you into buying.

NOMINATE NOW

These attempts to mislead and divide the workplace cannot be allowed to succeed. NPT’s offer would pit PTOs and ATAs against each other to get away with being the largest NEPT provider without the pay or conditions to show for it. Members must come together and push for real wages increases above CPI to restore previous cuts and compensate for increased scope of practice.

This may require industrial action, and only members who have nominated the VAU as their bargaining representative will be able to vote on and take part in it.

CONTACT THE UNION AND FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED.