Why should we support our paramedics in their fight for a new collective agreement? The answer is pretty obvious - they help us at some of the most critical events in our lives. They show up when we have accidents, when we fall or have heart attacks, when we are injured. They often save our lives.
B.C. paramedics have been on strike since April 12, because the B.C. government is not bargaining in good faith. They are not addressing the working conditions and pay rates of the paramedics.
The working conditions on the Sunshine Coast include the following: only five full-time workers, and 48 part-time. A full-time Sunshine Coast paramedic, after extensive training in emergency response, earns approximately $25 per hour, while their equivalents in Edmonton earn $43 hourly. After 10 years of service Lower Mainland paramedics earn $29.46 (the Sunshine Coast workers earn less) while firefighters make $35.59 and police $39.92. Part-time workers must wear pagers while on-call. They must be within 10 minutes of the station and are paid $2 an hour for this service.
On-call paramedics waiting at the station earn $10 an hour. Paramedics must pay for all their training, a cost that can reach $8,000.
Clearly this situation is unacceptable to us. Both sides need to get back to the bargaining table. The government should aim to give our paramedics parity with police and firefighters; otherwise, no one will want to work in this field.
Linda Forsythe
COSCO/Sunshine Coast
