Victorians could soon be receiving free ambulance assistance. Paramedics locked in a long-running dispute with Ambulance Victoria and the state government look set to implement new industrial action, including a ban on billing uninsured patients.

In December, paramedics rejected a pay offer of 12 percent extra over three years. The offer, which would leave Victorian ambos amongst the lowest paid in the country, came with a series of productivity “trade-offs” attached. The state government and Ambulance Victoria want paramedics to give up some paid breaks, work longer shifts and allow an increase in the use of unpaid ambulance community officers in regional areas.

The union representing paramedics, the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA), says that the government’s productivity demands will further weaken an ambulance system in crisis. Their argument has the backing of some important voices.

Addressing a crowd of paramedics at a rally on the steps of state parliament last year, Julie Wilson spoke about the death of her 18-year-old son months earlier. Brodie waited 27 minutes for an ambulance to arrive after suffering a severe asthma attack.

“I can see the pain and stress that these standards are having on [paramedics], the stress of being part of a service which is losing the battle to improve response times.

“I’m here to tell you, each and every one of you, that I support and respect you … The first step in providing Victorians with a reliable and functional ambulance service is to pay you, the workers, correctly”, she said.

At the start of February, the state government and Ambulance Victoria made another pay offer of 6 percent up front, with exactly the same attack on conditions. This is a provocative insult to paramedics. Speaking to Red Flag, secretary of the AEA Steve McGhie said that the government seemed unwilling to negotiate.

Over the course of negotiations, paramedics have been engaging in public acts of defiance by covering ambulance vehicles with angry messages to the Victorian premier and health minister. The latest offer has caused a stir, and paramedics are looking to step it up a notch.

Under immense pressure to keep working no matter what, it can be difficult for paramedics to strike. The state government is well aware of this. While the government tries to drive down conditions and increase workloads, it is expected that ambos will simply bear the extra load without response. McGhie says that there’s “no question about that, the government plays on those limits”.

Paramedics have one potential solution – imposing bans on processing the paperwork necessary for Ambulance Victoria to bill patients. This tactic would hit the government where it hurts. Given the cost of an ambulance ride, it will be a load off the shoulders of a few patients as well.

The union has lodged an application at the Fair Work Commission to authorise further protected industrial action. It’s to be hoped ambos will up the ante.

[For more information and to support the campaign, visit facebook.com/coderedambos.]