Money, Money, Money
Media reports today suggest that an end may be in sight - to the long running 'rest breaks' dispute in the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).
Now if these reports are to be believed then a new deal will be struck later today - although I imagine this will also have to be endorsed by members in subsequent union ballots.
Apparently the solution to the problem in this dispute - which is of course not about money according to the unions - is to throw more public money at the problem.
Last night it was reported that the previous £100 payable for interrupting a 'rest break' - would be increased to £150.
But we shall see what happens.
Meanwhile here's a recent FOI appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) - for some reason the SAS is extremely reluctant to share with anyone - the costs of its old 'rest breaks' policy.
The previous policy involved an annual payment of £250 to all SAS staff - plus an extra £5 for each time a crew member actually interrupted their break - and the crew still got a break at some point later in the same shift.
Quite why the SAS management are so secretive is beyond me - because this is supposed to be a public service run on behalf of the Scottish people.
Not something that is the private property of senior SAS staff - to pick and choose what they tell people about how the service is run.
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
Fife
KY16 9DS
Dear SIC
Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) – FOISA request
I enclose an exchange of correspondence with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) regarding a FOISA enquiry which I initiated on 2 September 2011.
I asked the SAS to review its initial decision, but I am dissatisfied with their response and would like to register the following appeal with the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC).
1. In its initial response, the SAS failed to answer 5 of the 8 questions I posed in my original FOISA request. I therefore had no option but to seek a review of the SAS’s initial answer, but I regard their behaviour as deliberate and an appalling abuse of the FOISA process.
2. In their reply to my FOISA Review Request, the SAS again failed to give a full and complete answer. In effect the SAS refused to provide the information requested about the current (not future) annual costs of their rest break policy.
3. The response of the SAS was that: ‘All our crews are now required to work 24/7 with uninterrupted rest breaks if necessary’, but that of course is the answer to a different question - not the one I asked the SAS in September 2011.
In my view, the SAS has no valid reason for refusing to answer this point – hence my appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner. I look forward to hearing from you in due course and if you require any further details at this stage, please let me know.
Kind regards
Mark Irvine
List of enclosures
1. Original FOISA request to SAS dated 2 September 2011
2. Initial SAS response to Mark Irvine dated 3 October 2011
3. Review request letter to SAS dated 4 October 2011
4. Final response letter from SAS to Mark Irvine 29 November 2011
