St John Ambulance and call centre staff have begun 24 hours of rolling strikes, repeating Tuesday’s action.
Unions warn that more strike action is likely unless the government provides more cash for ambulance services.
St John spokesperson Dan Ohs said Saturdays were one of the busiest days of the week. More people traveling, drinking alcohol, playing sports, or doing DIY around the house.
The ambulance service has good capacity for emergencies, but they ask the community to dial 111 if it’s non-urgent.
This is the first time ambulance workers have voted to withdraw their labour, following nine months of unsuccessful bargaining.
New Zealand Ambulance Association secretary Mark Quinn said members felt they needed to be listened to and that they felt they had no other way to get their point across because St John has not been actively listening regarding the pay dispute.
The unions are calling on the government to fund ambulance services fully. An indicative survey of FIRST Union members showed that over 90 percent would tentatively support further labor withdrawals, and all options were on the table.
NZAA will review the situation next week with FIRST Union, but already, NZAA members are indicating support for further labour withdrawals and upwards of 12 hours per shift as opposed to the four hours tomorrow.
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