Bendigo ambulance mechanics "left behind" in contract negotiations have downed tools as long-running pay talks stall.
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Kevin Haley says he is among those "forgotten" by Ambulance Victoria.
The ambulance fleet maintenance officer is one of two responsible for 80 vehicles in the Bendigo area and can be on call at all hours of the day or night.
"In the past we have quietly just gone about our business ... pulled up our socks and got the work done," Mr Haley, who took part in the 24 hour strike on April 8, said.
"But it seems like we have been forgotten ... this is the straw that broke the camel's back."'
Workers on call 24/7
Workers bargaining for 14 months accused Ambulance Victoria of failing to recognise their crucial role in keeping the emergency vehicles on the road and refusing reasonable pay increases amid cost-of-living pressures.
There was also a culture of guilt around taking accrued days off due to low staffing levels among fleet workers, Mr Haley said.
He said you did not have to look far to prove how crucial their work was.
"Just recently we had an intensive child-carrying ambulance from the Royal Children's Hospital come up and blow a tyre not from Bendigo. This was at midnight," Mr Haley said.
"We got that car going and ready to do a continuous job in a matter of two hours, alternatively it would have had to go onto a truck and be serviced the next day."
'You don't see anything happen to any of your workmates'
Being on call at all hours was unsustainable, Mr Haley said.
It was also the people at the front of the ambulance at the forefront of striking fleet worker's minds, he said.
"We know a lot of the local paramedic crew using the vehicles that we service and it would be devastating to have an incident where someone is injured because we rushed through a service to keep another vehicle on the road," he said.
"It's like any workplace. You don't see anything happen to any of your workmates."
Ambulance Victoria had its Melbourne fleet serviced at car dealerships.
That was not an option in regional areas because it would "cost a fortune" and inevitably raise fees for members.
Mr Haley wanted more pay for mechanics and more mechanics on the job.
Ambulance stations in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Hamilton, Horsham, Morwell, Shepparton and Wangaratta took part in the strike.
Backup plans were put in place to ensure the action would not impact public safety.
- with AAP.
