'We are fed up': Ambulance officers vote to strike

Frustrations over the failure of Hato Hone St John Ambulance to offer a pay rise have led to strike action by first responders, a union official says.

The nationwide withdrawal of labour by more than 2500 paramedics will involve members from First Union and the New Zealand Ambulance Association on 20 and 24 August.

First Union spokesperson Faye McCan says it wasn't an easy decision for the workers.

Initially, ambulance officers sought to withdraw their strike action, but the lack of progress in negotiations with St John left the workers "fed up", McCan told Pacific Mornings' William Terite.

"Unfortunately, we've been hearing it for quite some time, but they are basically just exhausted at work.

Watch First Union spokesperson Faye McCan's interview below.

"They're constantly being asked to do additional shifts to cover vacancies in the community going to people who have been waiting extremely long times for the ambulance service.

"We've been in bargaining with St John's, they've been offered a 0 per cent pay rise. Some ambulance officers don't even earn the living wage.

"Everyone is just exhausted and fed up with how they're being treated."

St John, Hato Hone, is a charity and frontline of Aotearoa's medical response, providing ambulance services across the motu.

St John Ambulance operations general manager Stuart Cockburn said Hato Hone received formal notification from First Union and the Amalgamated Workers Union New Zealand Inc (NZAA division) that their members would withdraw labour for four hours from the start of their shifts on 20 and 24 August.

"Like other essential services that are critical for public health and safety, ambulance personnel are required to provide Life Preserving Services at this time," Cockburn said in a statement.

"Over the coming days, we will meet with the unions to ensure that we are still able to respond to patients with life-threatening and time-critical conditions.

"We will keep the public and our stakeholders updated as details unfold and will have more to share in the coming days.

"Patient safety and wellbeing remains our top priority and we are working towards ensuring our contingency plans will meet patients’ needs during this time," Cockburn said.

Watch paramedic Kevin Vaeluaga and Leulua’ialii Eseta, from the emergency communications centre speak with Tofiga & Ina on #IslandTime.

McCan said the government's inability to confirm any funding increase to St John added to the workers' plight.

She said St John being a charity was not the right model for an emergency ambulance service.

"It's incredibly frustrating. I mean a service that New Zealand has depended on so much shouldn't depend on other people making donations to make sure that an ambulance can still make it to you when you need one.

"So on the 20th and the 24th, our members won't be going to work for the first four hours of their shift. There's a range of different shift times throughout the day.

"It'll be a staggered effect for the whole day. But ultimately, it will end in a reduction of ambulances available for the day."

This was the last resort, McCan said.

She said their members had taken "quite a few different strike actions" now to try to put pressure on St John and the government without affecting the public.

"But unfortunately, the government is just choosing to turn a blind eye to it. So we're just at the stage now where they need to put their foot down to make sure that they are heard.

"And that it fixes the ambulance service so that we don't keep having these issues and that the ambulance service is viable."

The unions will now negotiate with St John over the signing of a life-preserving services agreement.