After a frustrating start to negotiations with the Ministry of Health on members’ log of claims to get a fairer Award for non-clinical Emergency Medical Dispatchers and Control Centre Officers, members voted on taking strong and decisive action across all four Control Centres to push the Ministry to come back to the table with bargaining parameters.

On Monday this week, the Service met with ADHSU delegates and expressed concern about the ban on using the recommend button, stating this could lead to negative patient outcomes or system crashes. In good faith, Control members met Tuesday morning on zoom to discuss and voted to modify the recommend ban to exclude 1A & 1B jobs.

Before the zoom meeting occurred, the Ministry had already called for a hearing in the Industrial Relations Commission. ADHSU delegates attended virtually and the Commissioner heard from the Service, the Ministry and delegates themselves, before making the following recommendations:

“The Commission recommends that the ban proposed by the HSU on the use of the “Recommend Function” not be implemented on jobs classified as 1A, 1B, 1C and 2I. This recommendation remains in effect until 5 June 2024.”

Additionally, the Commission recommended:

1. The Health Secretary bargain in good faith with the HSU over the terms of the HSU log of claims served on the Secretary 4 April 2024, including responding in substance to each of the items in the HSU log of claims; and
2. To support the first recommendation, the Crown provide its representative in these proceedings, the Secretary, with bargaining parameters before the next bargaining meeting regarding the NSW Ambulance Control Centre Award, and no later than 4 June 2024.

In light of this, Control Centre delegates support the positions that members in Control drop the “Recommend Function” ban, but proceed with all other bans voted on from first day shift tomorrow, 15 May 2024.