A new chapter in ambulance staff representation

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Every day, we give our best on the frontline — saving lives, supporting patients, and carrying immense responsibility. We do this with pride. But when it comes to representation, we deserve better. The recent rejection of the ballot on WRC proposals on the implementation of recommendations from the McHugh/Crabtree report clearly shows that the current unions are deaf to our opinions and concerns.

The Irish Society of Paramedicine (ISP) has heard your demands for fairness and recognition of your professionalism, something the current negotiators have not. We have realised over the past few months since our establishment that we can only go so far regarding representation on your behalf. To continue our important and independent work, we need the provisions and resources of a registered trade union — something which, unfortunately, we as a society cannot provide.

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for ambulance staff in ireland. From within the ISP we acknowledge the commitment of our colleagues who have established a dedicated union branch within the PNA specifically for the purpose of representation of NAS professionals. We acknowledge that this initiative provides workers with a strong respected and united voice.

Experience has shown that we need to represent ourselves, and the PNA/NASRA Ambulance Branch allows us to do just that. Organised by ambulance service workers for National Ambulance Service (NAS) staff, PNA/NASRA is member-led, bottom-up, registered, and recognised. Established in 1969, the PNA has been a recognised trade union within the HSE for over fifty years.

The ISP will continue as a professional forum for pre-hospital colleagues to share, engage, and develop together. That community remains central to who we are. But a trade union structure is required to take on the very real industrial, pay, legal, and workplace challenges we face.

The principles of PNA dovetail perfectly with the guiding principles of our Society, ensuring continuity in our approach, values, and commitment to frontline staff. Our guiding principles are simple:

• Transparency – decisions must be open, accountable, and communicated clearly.

• Voice – every grade, every role, every frontline colleague deserves to be heard.

• Change – we will no longer accept "this is how it has always been."

The PNA will train representatives regarding HSE policies and procedures, the workings of the State’s industrial relations forums, provide legal advice and representation when required, and offer media training, equipping us with the tools we need to represent ourselves professionally.

Better representation means:

• Prioritising pre-hospital practitioners and ambulance staff above all else

• Strong advocacy for pay, conditions, and safety

• Real accountability to members

• A voice that is heard, because decisions are made by members, for members

We, the ISP Committee, strongly believe that this is the best and only available alternative. The Committee has led from the front and we have already joined PNA. And from within this structure we commit to along with our union colleagues to secure our right for independent representation.

We ask you to join with us collectively to support our advocacy on your behalf to have your voices heard.

In the coming days and weeks, there will be opportunities for every staff member to learn more, ask questions, and get involved. Meetings and recruitment events will take place nationwide, and we will be seeking branch representatives across the country to ensure local representation.

The other unions, which have let us down historically, have and will continue to deny that the PNA/NASRA is effective — a scare tactic to maintain the status quo. They will oppose us at every turn in an attempt to deny us our right to represent ourselves. But if there is one thing ISP members have demonstrated, it is that together we are strong and we are up for the challenge.

We would like to acknowledge the contribution of all PNA/NASRA members for their efforts in continuing to fight for our right to independent representation and for their contribution in maintaining our right to be members of the union of our choice.

We further acknowledge the current dispute between PNA/NASRA and the employer regarding the right to be members of the trade union of our choice and to be included in the collective bargaining process. As this has also been our ambition we will happily engage along side our colleagues on this matter.

We note that we are far better off being members of a trade union, fighting for our right to collective bargaining and having our voices heard, than being associated with unions that have collective bargaining rights but who continue to ignore the voices of their members.

The truth is that PNA/NASRA representatives have proven to be an immovable force when it comes to advocacy for their members, achieving many successes. These include insisting on ambulance service staff having access to due process and natural justice, and successfully representing members through the industrial relations mechanisms and the State’s civil courts, with much documented success at individual level.

The choice is clear. Stand united, take action, and join PNA today — for a stronger, fairer future for ourselves and the patients who rely on us.

Together for progress,

James Mullen - Chair,

Jim Kelly - Vice Chair,

Irish Society of Paramedicine