News

As members would be aware, on 10 November 2023, the Victorian Ambulance Union Incorporated (VAU) lodged an urgent dispute in the Fair Work Commission (FWC) against Ambulance Victoria (AV) seeking that AV comply with clause 11.2 of the Ambulance Victoria Enterprise Agreement 2020 (Agreement):

While a dispute or grievance is being dealt with in accordance with this clause, work must continue in accordance with usual practice existing immediately prior to the action giving rise to the dispute or grievance, until the dispute or grievance is resolved or withdrawn (Status Quo).

This occurred after AV advised the VAU on Friday afternoon that it did not agree with the VAU position that the Status Quo must be maintained for members involved in grievances in relation to People Based Rostering (PBR). AV informed the VAU that these members were required to start the new roster on Monday 13 November 2023.

The VAU attended the FWC representing 108 members on Monday 13 November and Wednesday 15 November 2023 seeking to enforce the Status Quo clause so that members work the pre-PBR roster until their grievances are resolved.

As a result of undertakings made at Wednesdays’ hearing, all employees at Craigieburn/Donnybrook, Dallas/Hadfield, Thomastown/Woodstock and Greensborough/Watsonia will return to pre-PBR roster from 11 December 2023 until the grievances are resolved. This change may also impact other branches who have lodged grievances about the PBR.

The VAU is working hard to have members’ grievances resolved as soon as possible and will be assisting all aggrieved members with conciliations at the FWC.

This didn’t have to happen.

This will no doubt cause significant roster uncertainty and frustration to members who work at these branches. But it would not have occurred if the proper process had been followed.

From the beginning of the PBR project, the VAU was very clear with AV that the union doesn’t take a position on which type of roster a team should work. The role of the union is to ensure the proper process is being followed under the Agreement. The reason that we have an Agreement with a detailed grievance procedure is to avoid unnecessary industrial disputes.

The maintenance of the status quo while grievances are ongoing is a longstanding practice at AV and is something members fought to include in the Agreement. Because AV ignored or reinterpreted clause 11.2, we are now likely to have dozens of members affected by this additional roster change.

The VAU understands that AV has put out a communique to affected staff advising that they are encouraged to raise any concerns about how this change interacts with your personal and family circumstances with your manager. Members are encouraged to pursue these conversations with their manager in the first instance.