Money, Money, Money
Back in August - I published a post about the long running 'rest breaks' dispute - in the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).
I shared with readers what the SAS had to say about the ongoing row - see post dated 1 August 2011 - Scottish Ambulance Service.
Since then the GMB union has rejected another 'improved' offer from the SAS - see post dated 9 September 2011 - Money, Money, Money.
So what does the SAS web site now tell the public?
Same as it did back in August - and goodness knows how long that statement had been there before I checked things out.
Come on SAS - the public deseve better than this!
SAS Statement - 20 September 2011
Rest breaks
"We work hard to ensure that staff are appropriately rested, monitor this very closely. Given that we are an emergency service, this can at times be challenging. Rest breaks are managed carefully to ensure the minimum impact upon availability of resources. Breaks for crews are staggered throughout the day and resources are moved around to ensure there is cover. This can be most challenging in rural stations where there may only be one or two ambulances on shift and, if necessary, resources will be strategically moved several miles to a midpoint from another station to provide cover during a rest period.
The current rest break policy for ambulance services was introduced by the UK Government as part of its Agenda for Change pay modernisation programme in 2004. Under the terms of the policy, ambulance crews are entitled to an uninterrupted break during their operational shift.
In Scotland, ambulance crews are offered the opportunity to ‘opt out’ of the policy, for which they are given an annual payment of £250 and paid a further £5 for each time that they are disturbed during a break.
The Scottish Ambulance Service is in ongoing dialogue with government to seek a solution to the challenges that exist in complying with this policy."
SAS Statement - 1 August 2011
Rest breaks
"We work hard to ensure that staff are appropriately rested, monitor this very closely. Given that we are an emergency service, this can at times be challenging. Rest breaks are managed carefully to ensure the minimum impact upon availability of resources. Breaks for crews are staggered throughout the day and resources are moved around to ensure there is cover. This can be most challenging in rural stations where there may only be one or two ambulances on shift and, if necessary, resources will be strategically moved several miles to a midpoint from another station to provide cover during a rest period.
The current rest break policy for ambulance services was introduced by the UK Government as part of its Agenda for Change pay modernisation programme in 2004. Under the terms of the policy, ambulance crews are entitled to an uninterrupted break during their operational shift.
In Scotland, ambulance crews are offered the opportunity to ‘opt out’ of the policy, for which they are given an annual payment of £250 and paid a further £5 for each time that they are disturbed during a break.
The Scottish Ambulance Service is in ongoing dialogue with government to seek a solution to the challenges that exist in complying with this policy."
I shared with readers what the SAS had to say about the ongoing row - see post dated 1 August 2011 - Scottish Ambulance Service.
Since then the GMB union has rejected another 'improved' offer from the SAS - see post dated 9 September 2011 - Money, Money, Money.
So what does the SAS web site now tell the public?
Same as it did back in August - and goodness knows how long that statement had been there before I checked things out.
Come on SAS - the public deseve better than this!
SAS Statement - 20 September 2011
Rest breaks
"We work hard to ensure that staff are appropriately rested, monitor this very closely. Given that we are an emergency service, this can at times be challenging. Rest breaks are managed carefully to ensure the minimum impact upon availability of resources. Breaks for crews are staggered throughout the day and resources are moved around to ensure there is cover. This can be most challenging in rural stations where there may only be one or two ambulances on shift and, if necessary, resources will be strategically moved several miles to a midpoint from another station to provide cover during a rest period.
The current rest break policy for ambulance services was introduced by the UK Government as part of its Agenda for Change pay modernisation programme in 2004. Under the terms of the policy, ambulance crews are entitled to an uninterrupted break during their operational shift.
In Scotland, ambulance crews are offered the opportunity to ‘opt out’ of the policy, for which they are given an annual payment of £250 and paid a further £5 for each time that they are disturbed during a break.
The Scottish Ambulance Service is in ongoing dialogue with government to seek a solution to the challenges that exist in complying with this policy."
SAS Statement - 1 August 2011
Rest breaks
"We work hard to ensure that staff are appropriately rested, monitor this very closely. Given that we are an emergency service, this can at times be challenging. Rest breaks are managed carefully to ensure the minimum impact upon availability of resources. Breaks for crews are staggered throughout the day and resources are moved around to ensure there is cover. This can be most challenging in rural stations where there may only be one or two ambulances on shift and, if necessary, resources will be strategically moved several miles to a midpoint from another station to provide cover during a rest period.
The current rest break policy for ambulance services was introduced by the UK Government as part of its Agenda for Change pay modernisation programme in 2004. Under the terms of the policy, ambulance crews are entitled to an uninterrupted break during their operational shift.
In Scotland, ambulance crews are offered the opportunity to ‘opt out’ of the policy, for which they are given an annual payment of £250 and paid a further £5 for each time that they are disturbed during a break.
The Scottish Ambulance Service is in ongoing dialogue with government to seek a solution to the challenges that exist in complying with this policy."
