DESPITE NSW premier Mike Baird’s vow to find a solution to their plight in 90 days, the region’s paramedics are not backing down from their fight for a fair insurance agreement.
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Mr Baird sensationally backflipped on his August pledge to cut paramedics’ death and disability entitlements at a meeting with them and health services union officials in Sydney on Wednesday.
"We hope to have an agreement in place by the end of January," Mr Baird said after a meeting with more than 80 paramedics.
“It is important we provide [paramedics] with the protection they need.”
However, the union and its leaders from across the region will continue their campaign until their entitlements are on parity with police officers, who are allowed seven years to return to work, instead of two.
Union sub-branch president Dave Lucietto said a chalked-up campaign on the side of ambulances would continue until the issue is resolved. Crews would also continue to double up on manual-lifting callouts as an extra precaution.
“Mike Baird came down and addressed us and he talked to the guys,” Mr Lucietto said.
“They asked him some pretty hard-hitting questions. He gave us his word and assurance that he will form a working party and will do whatever he needs to, to fix our insurance. But there was no talk about what that was going to be.”
A petition against the changes has garnered more than 10,000 signatures, and Mr Lucietto hopes the matter will reach parliament.
“He did express his disappointment at seeing his name written on the ambulance around NSW saying he doesn’t care for us,” Mr Lucietto said.
“We were thankful he agreed to work with us and it was absolutely positive that a working party is working with us to find a resolution. But we would not be stopping until it is done, we will continue our campaign but change some of the slogans on the cars. What we are saying to Mr Baird is the clock is ticking – the ball is in his court now.”