News

Ambulance Attendants (ATAs) at National Patient Transport (NPT) may have noticed that their payslips yesterday contained a 4.6% wage increase, in line with CPI. This is an increase won under your previous enterprise agreement in 2023. While NPT may be grouping the increases together to make the numbers appear more attractive, yesterday’s increase has nothing to do with the agreement we are currently bargaining for. 

Under the old agreement, members are guaranteed yearly CPI increases until a new agreement is reached to ensure that members don’t fall behind inflation while bargaining. This has proven crucial, as each and every bargaining meeting the VAU has attended with NPT has been subject to delays in the delivery of documentation, the timing of the meeting itself, or both.

This approach is consistent with the main demand from members for the new agreement, which is for real, above-inflation wage increases in recognition of increased scope of practice and responsibility in their work. This is what we are currently fighting for.

Patient Transport Officers (PTOs) received a 4.75% increase yesterday, but this also has nothing to do with the upcoming agreement. NPT are legally required to make this increase because PTOs at NPT are paid minimum Award rates, and those rates increased by 4.75% on 1 July 2026.

Understanding the already agreed yearly CPI increases also illuminates how little is currently being offered by NPT for the new agreement. Under their “Final and Best” offer:

• ATAs will receive a 0.15% increase in the first year;
• Adjusted for the effective pay cut that year 4 and 5 PTOs took in the previous year, PTOs will receive between 1.78% and 4.56% depending on their years of service;
• All employees will receive no guarantee of above-CPI increases for the next three years. 

Remaining in line with inflation and minimum wage rates is the bare minimum, and NPT members have received the bare minimum for long enough. Don’t be fooled into thinking NPT awarded you a real increase yesterday. It was an increase you won in your previous industrial campaign or was otherwise legally mandated.

What now?

Our demand remains consistent, which is real wage increases above-CPI for all members. 

At this point, it is likely that industrial action will be necessary to achieve this. Any members who have not nominated the VAU as bargaining representative will not be able to vote and participate in industrial action, please contact the VAU.