Today saw Covid numbers for Victoria that I’m sure all of us were hoping we would never see again. The long haul is having a significant impact on many and those of you working at the front line just have to keep battling on to provide essential care to your communities. There are plenty of support services out there, including us here at AEAV. So if you need to have a chat please give us a call. And keep an eye out for your colleagues.
INCREASED DEMAND IS A DEFLECTION
We have been hearing from Ambulance Victoria and the State government that the current ambulance crisis is a result of COVID-19. However, the data doesn’t support their claims that demand has increased beyond what was expected. The AEAV maintains that the entire health system has been chronically underfunded for years, and rather than the current issues being an anomaly, they are exactly what was expected. To read more about this click HERE.
WILL YOU BE TARGETED FOR AOD HAIR TESTING?
AV can target you for invasive AOD hair testing and you are not allowed to know why. AV has recently hair tested an AEAV member and when they asked for the evidence to support the “reasonable belief” were told that AV does not share that information. This is not a new scenario, but staggering given the focus of the VEOHRC review on a lack of transparency and poor communication by the PCU. To read more click HERE.
EXPANDED CPD ACCESS THROUGH TALISIUM – IMPORTANT CHANGES COMING SEP 20
The AEAV has renegotiated our contract with Talisium and is now able to offer our members even greater access to the learning provider. Talisium is your one stop shop for complying with registration requirements or professional development and it is FREE to all AEAV members. The new offer means that as an AEAV member you have full access to the extensive range of courses.
If you would like to continue to access Talisium’s large catalogue of professional learning for free, please click HERE.
INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE
Income Protection provides peace of mind in the event you are injured outside of work hours or diagnosed with an illness. The AEAV has negotiated the most comprehensive scheme available to ambulance sector employees in Australia, with payments of up to 90% if your income and only a two-week waiting period if you cannot work.
Claire has worked for AV for 2 ½ years. She has just bought a house with her partner and is moving in next month. Claire has enough sick leave for 3 weeks. A few weeks ago Claire was out running when she felt pain in her left knee. The diagnosis is 6 months off work and surgery. Claire’s ambo friend was concerned how she and her partner were going to pay their mortgage repayments given Claire’s time off work. Fortunately for Claire she had signed up for WIP Income Protection through her AEAV membership in July last year. Claire can claim 90% of her income from the 3rd week of her lay off.
“I had completely forgotten I had Income Protection. If I didn’t have Income Protection our dream of a new home would have been lost. Best financial decision I’ve ever made.” – Claire
We recently wrote to Ambulance Victoria regarding their Mental Health Action Plan. Our thanks to everyone who provided input into our submission. We also highlighted a number of our recommendations put forward as part of the VEOHRC review into workplace culture. You can see the full list of recommendations we put forward for the plan, and the full letterHERE.
ESTA GRANDPARENTING
The AEAV have been in discussions with ESTA about payrises for ESTA employees in receipt of a grandparented payment. Read more about our meeting and the outcome HERE.
PAID VACCINATION LEAVE FOR ALL
Most workers in Australia don’t have access to paid leave to get their COVID-19 vaccinations, like staff at Ambulance Victoria do. The union movement is calling on the Prime Minister to ensure no workers will be worse off for getting their vaccination. Workers currently have no right to be absent from work to get the jab. In fact, over two million casual workers currently face the real risk that they will miss out on shifts and lose pay if they have to get vaccinated and recover outside working hours. Sign the petition for paid vaccination for all HERE.
RAISE FUNDS FOR THE CODE 9 FOUNDATION
The Code 9 Foundation supports first responders and Triple 0 call takers who are experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. They are running a fundraising walk through the Larapinta trail in 2022 to support their important work. Join The Code 9 Foundation Larapinta 2022 adventure and, with every step you take, you will show mentally injured professional first responders and 000 operators they are never alone on their journey to recovery. For more info and to register click HERE.
JOKE OF THE WEEK
A man is struggling to find a parking space. “Lord,” he prays. “I can’t stand this. If you open a space up for me, I swear I’ll give up the drink and go to church every Sunday.”
Suddenly, the clouds part and the sun shines on an empty parking spot. Without hesitation, the man says: “Never mind, I found one!”
KEEP IN TOUCH
As always, if you have any issues, questions or queries, get in touch by leaving a message on 9287 1713 or email [email protected]
