AMBULANCE crews fear they will be worse off under a recently negotiated pay agreement with the State Government, according to a Sale paramedic.
The paramedic, who asked to remain anonymous, said Sale paramedics were unhappy with the agreement negotiated between Ambulance Victoria and Ambulance Employees Australia and would reject it when it's put to a vote later this month.
Ambulance Victoria and the AEA have spent the past year negotiating an agreement for pay increases and longer shift breaks, including a proposed mandatory 10 hour rest period.
The State Government agreed to the 10 hour breaks on the final day of the 21-day conciliation period in August.
But the paramedic told the Times paramedics could be worse off because of changes to their pay structure and the 10-hour rest breaks wouldn't come in for another two years.
"In the meantime if we get recalled in before 10 hours, we have to get through to management and let them know we're fatigued and can't come in,'' he said.
"It's a really ridiculous state of affairs. In other industries, if workers work less than 12 hours they get penalised because there are (occupational health and safety) issues involved with doing that.
"Yet the Government seems to think it doesn't matter for paramedics, who are saving lives and driving at high speeds on the road.''
The paramedic said the new award would remove the rolled-in rate, a higher hourly rate that takes into account weekend, night shift work and public holidays in lieu of penalty rates.
Paramedics will get overtime at double the base rate when they are recalled to work, which the paramedic argued could reduce people's incomes as 20 per cent of shifts were filled using overtime.
The paramedic said he and his co-workers loved their jobs but felt the State Government didn't recognise their work.
"To not be valued properly by the State Government and Ambulance Victoria management is very discouraging and morale has never been lower,'' he said.
The paramedic also claimed Ambulance Victoria had disabled its internal mailing system to stop branches talking to each other about their dissatisfaction.
Ambulance Employees Australia state secretary Steve McGhie said he understood the paramedic's concerns but the agreement was the best they could get in the circumstances.
"We think it will be a very close vote,'' he said.
"The alternative of not accepting the agreement is arbitration and that could put some of our conditions at risk.
"There are some flaws in the agreement but it's the best one we could get in the circumstances.
Mr McGhie admitted the overtime changes would upset paramedics.
"The overtime is the most contentious issue about this agreement,'' he said.
He said the union wanted paramedics to get the professional recognition they deserved but "our opponents don't agree with that''.
Ambulance Victoria Gippsland Regional operations manager Mark Cooke said paramedics have had plenty of time to raise their concerns with management.
"The union thought the offer ... was a good offer and agreed to it,'' he said.
"For rural paramedics, the rolled-in rate changes actually mean an additional two per cent pay rise above any other rises in the offer.
"This was done to create a single pay level anywhere in the state meaning rural paramedics will now be paid the same as their metropolitan colleagues.''
Mr Cook said the delay in introducing 10 hour breaks was because Ambulance Victoria needed time to change their rosters.
"The union agreed to these time frames and will be working with us to develop an implementation plan,'' he said.
He said some areas would adopt the changes sooner than two years.
Mr Cook said the changes to the email were not an attempt to stifle conversation but to "improve the use of email within the organisation''.
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