News Service from House Harris

NSW: Ambulance personnel take industrial action

SYDNEY, Nov 21 AAP - NSW ambulance officers are taking industrial action, accusing the government of delaying wage negotiations.

The state-wide industrial action started at 4pm (AEDT) on Friday, with banson overtime and patient transfers from hospitals after discharge.

The industrial action will also include bans on ambulance stand-bys at sporting events this weekend and on processing invoices.

United Services Union (USU) organiser Rudi Oppitz said crews would continueto respond to emergency calls.

He said the strike was in response to health department delays that had held up wage negotiations for the past five months.

"Ambulance employees who take life-threatening triple-0 calls are an important part of the service and deserve to have their wage negotiations wrappedup quickly and efficiently," he said.

"To drag this out like the department has, with no explanation or acknowledgement, is simply degrading and gives these employees little credit for theimportant job they do around the clock."

Mr Oppitz said unless the department started treating the situation seriously there would be a backlog of patients occupying much-needed hospital beds.

"After 4pm on Friday, workers will not be processing ambulance transfer calls for patients needing to be discharged from hospital," he said.

"Unless the government responds to workers' wage claims, bed shortages are sure to become a major issue.

"Workers apologise for any inconvenience the bans cause to non-emergency patients but feel this is the only responsible way they can show the department how serious this situation is for them."

The bans will continue until workers get a response from the government, the union said.

Comment has been sought from NSW Health and Health Minister John Della Bosca.

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