Paid pandemic leave knocked back

AN Ambulance Tasmania paramedic and a North West Private Hospital worker have joined the fight for paid COVID-19 pandemic leave given the dangerous nature of their jobs.

In a newly-published decision, the full bench of the Fair Work Commission knocked back an application by several unions for two weeks of paid leave for health workers in quarantine or awaiting coronavirus test results.

The push came after 99 awards were varied in early

April to establish unpaid pandemic leave, which was extended earlier this month to September 30. But while the commission accepted health workers were at higher risk of contracting the virus, it wasn’t currently convinced paid pandemic leave was necessary.

However, it didn’t dismiss the application either — adjourning it for the time being given the COVID-19 situation could “radically change in a matter of weeks”.

Paramedic Lauren Hepher told the commission her job was done in an “uncontrolled environment” where risk of infection was reasonably high.

She said ambulance workers often had to enter patients’ homes, and worked in the recent Burnie outbreak.

“She expressed the view that staff should not be penalised for something they are exposed to in the course of their work, nor should they miss out on pay because they are compliant with a policy to isolate until testing is carried out,” the commission said.

Burnie catering assistant Tina Lamprey said her work involved attending patients’ rooms to deliver meals. She said she’d used up all her sick leave and long service leave, but was paid to isolate during the recent Burnie outbreak.

The commission says it will reconvene to grant the application if evidence of “elevated risk” manifests across the sector, and for casual employees if a “demonstrated risk” to health and aged care systems became apparent.