Correction: A previous version of this story mistakenly included a reference to the New Zealand Ambulance Association, a separate union for ambulance staff. The NZAA is still deciding whether or not to ratify the pay offer. RNZ apologises for the error.
Ambulance staff want the government to fully fund the service. Photo: Supplied / First Union
Ambulance officers and call centre staff will strike for a second time at the end of the month after rejecting a pay offer from Hato Hone St John.
The workers will withdraw labour for six hours from the start of their shifts on 27 September, with a second strike planned for 30 September.
Ambulance officers have been negotiating over pay and conditions with the employer, St John, since their collective agreement expired in December 2023.
St John general manager of ambulance operations Stuart Cockburn said it had presented a final offer to both the NZ Ambulance Association division of AWUNZ and First Union on 30 August.
The latest offer was an increase on the earlier one, taking into account feedback from the unions, he said.
The NZAA was currently conducting more than 100 in-person ratification meetings across the country.
First Union rejected the settlement offer following three national online meetings with its members, and had issued two strike notices.
"We expect this to involve up to 175 personnel nationally for each shift, equating to approximately 30 percent of our on duty paid personnel," Cockburn said.
NZAA members and workers on individual employment agreements - who represented nearly 70 percent of its workforce - were not participating in the action, he said.
"Like other essential services critical to public health and safety, our ambulance personnel and ambulance communications centre staff are required to provide Life Preserving Services (LPS) during this period. Over the coming days, we will meet with the union to ensure we can continue to respond to patients with life-threatening and time-critical conditions.
"We remain committed to keeping the public and our stakeholders informed as we navigate this next round of industrial action. Further updates will be shared as new information becomes available.
"Our top priority is always the safety and wellbeing of our patients, and we are working to ensure that our contingency plans will effectively meet patient needs during the strike."
The industrial action followed rolling strikes by ambulance workers and call takers in August - the first time they had ever taken strike action.
First Union organiser Faye McCann said the offer from St John included minimal pay increases, below the rate of inflation.
Ambulance officers would continue to leave the workforce if a fair pay agreement was not reached, she said.
"They're burnt out, they're underpaid, and they're not being listened to by the government or St John.
"They need better working conditions and this is the action that they're having to take to be heard."
There was a major funding gap and a critical need for a fully funded ambulance service, she said.
"It's very peculiar for us to hear that the government won't step up and fully fund the ambulance service when that's what the public needs, that's what the staff need."
St John said it was "actively seeking" an increase in government funding to cover both daily running costs - such as wages, fuel and medical supplies - and critical infrastructure, for example, ambulance stations and IT software such as the electronic patient record system.
"We are in continued discussions with funders around future options for this, but do not expect substantial changes before our next contract in July 2026."
