Yesterday, 10 ADHSU members at Rutherford took a stand against the Service’s absurd PAR model. After NSWA refused to maintain the paramedic enhancements they had spruiked, members voted to work their own member-endorsed roster ensuring coverage would not be taken away from their community.

Upon signing on for shift at 1045 hrs, two members partaking in the HSU roster were told by management to go home. In solidarity, the remaining 8 members stood down with the crew and only responded to life-threatening cases (which they weren’t paid for).

The Hunter New England Sector, and later, the whole state, took action in banning R3 jobs in solidarity. Residential aged care facilities are excluded from the R3 bans, that is members should respond to all R3s coming from these facilities.

This morning, Rutherford members held a meeting and voted to go back to the posted DDNN roster, but also take new action in which crews will not perform shift movements outside of the Rutherford area in order to ensure community coverage. Crews will of course respond to jobs/cases out of the area.

Further, a welfare fund page is being generated where members of the Rutherford community can pay back the Paramedics who took a stand for their local area. 

The brave members at Rutherford Station have well and truly ignited the ADHSU’s state-wide fight on Taxpayer Funded Rosters (TFRs) and maintained community coverage across NSW.

This enhancement in paramedic numbers without an increase to PAR isn’t a situation unique to Rutherford. It’s happening across the state – Raby, Narellan, Macquarie Fields, Liverpool, Bankstown, Fairfield, Cherrybrook, Colyton, Richmond, Castlehill, Balgowlah, Ryde, Lisarow, Kincumber, Fairy Meadow, Warrawong, Kiama, Coffs Harbour, Taree, Stockton, and so many more.

Late last night, the Service took the HSU to the Industrial Relations Commission to have TFR industrial actions shut down. The Commission has made orders that industrial action cease. You can view the orders here.

However, the HSU is backing members in on continuing the R3 action. Statewide bans on R3s (with the exception of residential aged care facilities) remain until first day shift tomorrow morning.

ADHSU delegates have called a stop work zoom meeting tomorrow at 0700, to discuss next steps. A text will be sent out with the zoom link later.

Good work Rutherford.