Cost of Living
The cost of living in Scotland has gone up yet again - only this time it's not the world economy or the UK's debt crisis that's to blame.
From now on we will all have to stump up an extra £50 - to ensure that emergency 999 calls have the best chance possible at saving lives.
Because that the price - an extra £50 - that ambulance workers will now get for interrupting their guaranteed 'rest breaks' - and responding to genuine life and limb emergencies.
Previously the ambulance workers had been offered an extra £250 a year plus £50 - for each occasion they have their breaks interrupted - which can't be that often surely.
But that wasn't enough - they wanted something more - and the price of peace, the price of saving a life potentially - comes in at an extra £50 a time.
I wrote about this farce back in July 2011 - and a copy of the relevant post is published below for information.
I also submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) - in an effort to understand the scale of the problem - is it a public safety mountain or a molehill?
The management at SAS have declined to respond - they don't want people asking awkward questions apparently - about their stewardship of a publicly funded service.
Now the Scottish Government has stepped in and imposed a solution - according to press reprorts - for the next three months at least - during which time the £100 payment (and extra £50) will apply.
The health secretary - Nicola Sturgeon - deserves some credit for grasping this bull by the horns - since no one else was showing any leadership.
The management of the SAS appear weak and defensive - while the unions could not even get their members to accept the original peace proposal - which they recommended members to accept, so they say.
The whole affair shows Scotland up in a very poor light - people haggling over the cost of saving a life - instead of just doing what needs to be done - and solving their differences elsewhere.
The Wrong Call (26 July 2011)
So the GMB union has joined Unite and Unison in rejecting a proposal for ambulance workers - to respond to all genuine emergency calls during their shifts.
At the moment ambulance crews can choose not to interrupt their tea breaks - a rather strange situation to say the least - which has drawn lots of criticism.
Understandably, because people have - literally - died waiting when the nearest ambulance crew preferred to finish their tea break - insterad of responding to a 999 call from a member of the public.
Now this is a crazy state of affairs - can you imagine a police officer, a firefighter, a doctor or a nurse insisting that their tea break comes first.
All that's being asked is that ambulance crews take their break - once the emergency is over - not that they shouldn't get a break at all.
The unions say that their members voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest proposal - but the obvious question is - 'What advice did GMB, Unite and Unison give to their members?'.
Because it's a real failure of leadership on the part of the trade unions - who often claim to be speaking for the public and service users - but on this occasion they're letting the public down.
So I say let's have a real debate - let's put the facts on the table - for example, how often do ambulance crews get disturbed in an average week or month?
Are we talking about a minor inconvenience or a major problem - so let's hear from the NHS officials who are supposed to be standing up for the interests of the public.
The unions seem to be saying that more money - a more generous offer from the employers will break the deadlock - but if so, then that's a disgraceful stance for the unions to take.
Because it's playing games with people's lives.
From now on we will all have to stump up an extra £50 - to ensure that emergency 999 calls have the best chance possible at saving lives.
Because that the price - an extra £50 - that ambulance workers will now get for interrupting their guaranteed 'rest breaks' - and responding to genuine life and limb emergencies.
Previously the ambulance workers had been offered an extra £250 a year plus £50 - for each occasion they have their breaks interrupted - which can't be that often surely.
But that wasn't enough - they wanted something more - and the price of peace, the price of saving a life potentially - comes in at an extra £50 a time.
I wrote about this farce back in July 2011 - and a copy of the relevant post is published below for information.
I also submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) - in an effort to understand the scale of the problem - is it a public safety mountain or a molehill?
The management at SAS have declined to respond - they don't want people asking awkward questions apparently - about their stewardship of a publicly funded service.
Now the Scottish Government has stepped in and imposed a solution - according to press reprorts - for the next three months at least - during which time the £100 payment (and extra £50) will apply.
The health secretary - Nicola Sturgeon - deserves some credit for grasping this bull by the horns - since no one else was showing any leadership.
The management of the SAS appear weak and defensive - while the unions could not even get their members to accept the original peace proposal - which they recommended members to accept, so they say.
The whole affair shows Scotland up in a very poor light - people haggling over the cost of saving a life - instead of just doing what needs to be done - and solving their differences elsewhere.
The Wrong Call (26 July 2011)
So the GMB union has joined Unite and Unison in rejecting a proposal for ambulance workers - to respond to all genuine emergency calls during their shifts.
At the moment ambulance crews can choose not to interrupt their tea breaks - a rather strange situation to say the least - which has drawn lots of criticism.
Understandably, because people have - literally - died waiting when the nearest ambulance crew preferred to finish their tea break - insterad of responding to a 999 call from a member of the public.
Now this is a crazy state of affairs - can you imagine a police officer, a firefighter, a doctor or a nurse insisting that their tea break comes first.
All that's being asked is that ambulance crews take their break - once the emergency is over - not that they shouldn't get a break at all.
The unions say that their members voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest proposal - but the obvious question is - 'What advice did GMB, Unite and Unison give to their members?'.
Because it's a real failure of leadership on the part of the trade unions - who often claim to be speaking for the public and service users - but on this occasion they're letting the public down.
So I say let's have a real debate - let's put the facts on the table - for example, how often do ambulance crews get disturbed in an average week or month?
Are we talking about a minor inconvenience or a major problem - so let's hear from the NHS officials who are supposed to be standing up for the interests of the public.
The unions seem to be saying that more money - a more generous offer from the employers will break the deadlock - but if so, then that's a disgraceful stance for the unions to take.
Because it's playing games with people's lives.
