Coast paramedics' morale hit a new low this week as the provincial government moved to legislate an end to their seven-month strike, short-circuiting a union vote on a settlement offer which closely matches the new legislation.
"I'm frustrated by the whole process to begin with, but absolutely disgusted with my government," said Gibsons paramedic and union shop steward Charlie Green-away. "We took our strike vote, the tally's [Nov. 5], and they've gone and jumped the gun. So I'm very disappointed with my government."
Monday afternoon, the provincial government introduced the Ambulance Service Collective Agree-ment Act, which will legislate into place an offer including a three per cent wage increase, retroactive to April 1, 2009 which Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) B.C. president Barry O'Neill says is similar to but even worse than the original offer being voted on, which the union designated "a piece of crap" in media reports. The votes were to have been tallied Thursday, Nov. 5.
And B.J. Chute, director of public education for the paramedics' union, says this move by the government to sidestep the voting process is a first in Canada.
"This is an unprecedented attack, not only on paramedics, but on workers everywhere in British Columbia that the government would stoop so low as to legislate the contract while workers are in the midst of voting upon it," he said.
During a media conference call Monday, Nov. 2, Health Minister Kevin Falcon cited service shortfalls and the H1N1 pandemic as the key reasons behind the move.
"In the Lower Mainland, the number of ambulances out of service each month has jumped to 150 compared to just 12, on average, before the strike began, and right now our entire health system is operating at full capacity to manage the impact of the H1N1 pandemic," Falcon said. "Every day the strike continues increases the risk to patients, and it's my view that we cannot go another day with our ambulance paramedics system operating at less than its full potential."
He downplayed suggestions, which CUPE has put forward, that the move was triggered by pressure from the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC).
"Special events, whether it's the Celebration of Light, the marathon or an Olympic event, come under the purview of essential services, so really, that's frankly a secondary issue in my mind," he said, "The primary issue in my mind is I'm increasingly receiving reports that suggest the system is really reaching a stress point, particularly on the management side."
Falcon defended the decision to pre-empt the vote, saying the government had to be realistic.
"We know that the president of the union [John Strohmaier] described the last offer made by the B.C. Ambulance Service as 'a piece of crap,'" he said. "We also know he's gone to the membership to make it clear that this is not an offer they should accept; that he's been campaigning against it."
But Greenaway said that this legislation, besides rankling paramedics by upsetting the voting process, does nothing to solve their problems.
"There's still too many guys out there working overtime, we don't have enough bodies in the system, we have a recruitment and retention problem," he said. "Gibsons last weekend went again without an ambulance. These problems still haven't been addressed."
Moreover, he said, given how low morale is, and given that the legislation will end the essential services order which required paramedics to work to their historic availability under threat of contempt charges service levels may well drop lower yet.
"There's no money in this business for me to stick around," said Greenaway, who says he plans to cut down his shifts as a paramedic to devote more time to running a small business, where he says he earns far more. "So that's how I'll show my frustration. I'll pull my time back to satisfy my business instead of satisfying my commitment to my community. If my government can't commit to me, I can't commit to my community."
Moreover, he said, one Coast paramedic has just landed a flush job as a paramedic in Australia, and the word is spreading throughout the ranks that there are better opportunities abroad.
"Now a lot of paramedics are saying, 'Hey, let's look at Australia,'" he said. "So there's your morale. Your morale's going south."
