Dunedin firefighters say their strike today is about more than money. They were calling for recognition of the occupational risk of cancer and the workload that attending medical calls created. The fire service had deteriorated over the years and now faced an even higher workload since crews began attending medical calls in 2013, he said. There were two medical calls in volunteer areas and one minor structure fire also in a volunteer area. "St John and Wellington Free Ambulance did not call out career crews to medical calls for the hour of the strike, as agreed, and volunteers only responded to medical calls within their area."

Source: Otago Daily Times August 26, 2022 07:48 UTC