St John staff are continuing to chalk strike-related messages on ambulances in protest.
St John staff are continuing to chalk strike-related messages on ambulances in protest.
St John workers are considering striking after pay rise requests were rejected as concerns mount over the charity status and funding model of New Zealand’s largest ambulance service.
The union strikes come after St John, the Government and unions have been increasingly at odds over whether the organisation is understaffed.
Better funding for ambulance services was pledged by National and NZ First in their coalition agreement, but the union claims St John’s funding had been frozen in Budget 2024/25.
Paramedics on the front line of health emergencies are not being paid fairly, two unions claim after being in negotiations for eight months.
First Union national ambulance co-ordinator Faye McCann told the Herald St John had not offered any percentage increase on pay rates for staff.
“Some ambulance officers are not even paid the living wage,” McCann said.
The unions are currently balloting for further strike actions, including a withdrawal of labour which will be voted on on Monday.
“Our members have only considered a withdrawal of labour as a last resort.”
First Union National ambulance organiser Faye McCann says industrial actions like the chalking of St John ambulances with public messages are now active. Photo / File
The strike goes beyond requests for pay raises, as both unions have concerns about the funding structure and charity status of New Zealand’s largest ambulance service.
“So far, the Government has refused to step up and St John is advising they are unable to provide any percentage increase to ambulance officers’ pay as they say they do not have any money,” McCann said.
“First Union has consistently voiced concerns of our members that an ambulance service should not be a charity or reliant on donations, it should be publicly owned and fully funded based on patient need.”
St John currently receives 82% of its funding through the Government, the rest is covered by donations, sponsorships and charging patients to be transported to hospitals.
In February, Hato Hone St John chief executive Peter Bradley claimed there is no benefit to the Government taking over the ambulance service.
In May, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon echoed this claim, saying Hato Hone St John “actually don’t want to be 100% funded” by the Government.
McCann said ambulance services are essential and it “doesn’t make sense” for them to be kept separate from the rest of the system and reliant on charity.
“Members can see the effect these poor terms and conditions are having on the future of the ambulance service and are worried if they don’t act now and get results, the ambulance service will crumble,” she said.
McCann said staff have already taken strike actions including wearing a union badge instead of a name badge, writing strike-related messages on ambulances, refusing to use a manual stretcher when crewed alone, and non-observance of St John’s media and social media ban.
Amalgamated Workers Union NZ (Awunz) lead organiser Nicola Young said St John told the union it had been unable to secure funding for a frontline staff increase.
“Unions have issued multiple strike notices to the employer and are currently balloting members for a limited withdrawal of labour over two 24-hour periods, for four hours each at the beginning of shift,” Young said.
Young said she understood community concern regarding health workers striking, but explained they believed they were fighting for a better system for workers and patients alike.
“Our intention is to put pressure on the employer and the Government to secure a pay increase for our members, not to put the community or patients at risk.
“We believe the health system is in crisis and we need to highlight this, [we are] literally the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.”
Several strike actions went live on June 29, and more are planned to begin on August 7, Young said.
She said the collective agreement expired on November 30 last year and members are frustrated that the employer has not offered a pay increase in the current cost of living crisis.
Union members are also frustrated about a recent surprise cancellation of their health insurance policies while St John was changing its provider in September.
“This was a surprise to our members and the first they or us had heard,” Young said.
St John told the Herald it is “actively engaged” in collective bargaining with the unions and is committed to working in good faith.
“As part of this bargaining, the unions have notified us of their members’ intent to undertake various industrial actions,” said Stu Cockburn, Hato Hone St John general manager – ambulance operations.
“Upon receiving each strike notice, we carefully assess any potential risks to patient care or service delivery.”
He said Hato Hone St John collaborates closely with its unions to ensure ambulance personnel can fulfil their roles without compromising patient safety or their professional obligations.
“Our primary focus remains on patient safety and wellbeing and we have comprehensive contingency plans to ensure we meet patients’ needs during this period,” Cockburn said.
“We are continuing the current collective bargaining process and hope to reach an agreement.”
Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.
