Ambulance workers are being let down by low pay says UNISON, the UK’s largest ambulance union.  Presenting it’s evidence to the Pay Review Body (PRB), the union is arguing that paramedics and technicians should be properly rewarded for the vital role they play in treating sick and injured people and in saving lives.

Ambulance staff have had to deal with a major increase in 999 calls and are increasingly taking on more complex life-saving procedures and making life and death decisions on what action is needed.

National officer, Mike Jackson, said:

“Emergency workers live on the edge of their wits – they cannot afford to relax during their shifts.  Sadly they also face rising levels of violence, which add to the stress of an already difficult job.  Despite these problems staff rate the job as highly rewarding, unfortunately this is not true in monetary terms.”

UNISON’s PRB evidence, based on interviews with paramedics and technicians, shows that staff feel strongly that their pay does not reflect the burden of responsibility they shoulder on a daily basis.

UNISON is recommending:

*       A significant pay increase/and or a flat rate pay increase to be applied to those staff within the remit of the Review Bodies whose earnings are lowest.

*       Review Body to call for Occupational Therapists to be added to the agreed list for the application of national recruitment and retention premia.

*       Review Body to identify and acknowledge the vital work that non regulated staff undertake, their commitment to patient care and the future potential regulation for their professional regulation.