Difficult to see 'our laundry washed in public', says ambulance drivers' spokesman
The National Ambulance Service has confirmed that a disagreement arose between two staff at the end of their shift on Saturday nights.
It was reported yesterday that a paramedic was left stranded at a petrol station 100kms from his base after repeatedly asking the driver to slow down in bad weather.
Chairman of the National Ambulance Service Representative Association Michael Dickson said: “I don’t think the service itself was affected, but obviously to have our laundry washed in public like that, for an incident such as that, is difficult.
“I would also stress… that there may have been circumstances leading to that.
“Staff in the Ambulance Service and morale is extremely low at the moment, and that’s due to public service agreements [and] inequality in the pay.”
He added: “Look, on a personal note, I would have to say it’s not acceptable.
“At the end of the day, we’re a small group, there’s 1,600-1,800 of us in the country, working for the National Ambulance Service, and to have an issue like that raised is difficult.
“There will have to be an investigation. – you can’t leave a staff member behind.”
