Emergency ambulance workers being paid less than their animal ambulance counterparts

Emergency ambulance responders are getting paid less than their animal ambulance counterparts, the UĦM’s Voice of the Workers Weekly newsletter has reported.  

The discrepancy adds up to around €5,000 per year.

Ambulance workers have resorted to industrial action, after government refused to start talks on a new collective agreement for this category of COVID-19 front liners.  

The maximum salary of emergency ambulance responders stands at €19,535 which is €1,313 less than the respective salary of an animal ambulance driver who earns up to €20,848. Taking into account added allowances, the disparity goes up to €5,000.  

“The situation beggars belief and what is even more baffling is the government’s refusal to address this absurd anomaly whereby it seems that employees treating humans are not valued as much as those treating animals,” emergency ambulance responders told this portal,” workers told the newsletter.  

Sources within the healthcare system told Voice of the Workers Weekly that government’s unwillingness to resolve this anomaly could signal plans to privatise the core service which is crucial in the daily operations of State hospitals. 

“This possibility which until a few years ago would have been unthinkable, is no longer such a remote scenario following government’s controversial decision to privatise three State hospitals – Gozo, Karin Grech and St Luke’s – to Vitals and subsequently Steward Health Care,” they said. 

The newsletter also said government is already making use of third-party ambulances owned by a contractor. 

“Outsourcing the ambulance service makes no sense, as that money could go to give better conditions to government’s own emergency ambulance responders and invest in better resources,” the sources said.