Public servants at Centrelink's Symonston mail scanning centre found out that the facility was closing because employees at a related facility had already been told, the main public sector union says.
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Employees at the mail sorting centre at Fairbairn, where the work is contracted out to supported work provider LEAD for people with disabilities, were notified on May 18 that the contract for their work would end on June 30.
The letter to the employees said "the Department of Human Services (DHS) have decided not to renew their contract with the Employer given the pending closure of their Scanning Operation Centre in Symonston".
According to the the Community and Public Sector Union, staff employed directly by Human Services didn't know about the "pending closure" until the letter sent to LEAD employees at Fairbairn was circulated at the Symonston centre.
“This decision has been horribly handled for people working at the Scanning Operations Centre in Symonston, both those employed through LEAD and those directly employed by the Department of Human Services,” CPSU lead organiser Sarah Hunt said.
“A number of DHS staff found out their workplace was being shut down through second-hand information from LEAD colleagues who’d been advised in writing, and had to then wait a full week for formal confirmation of the decision. Such poor communication has left staff feeling disrespected and added to their anxiety about their future prospects in DHS.”
The union said 25 permanent staff had been told they would be re-deployed by October at the latest, but another 25 casual Human Services staff were facing the same uncertainty as the workers at LEAD. Some of the staff members at the Department of Human Services who were told they would be deployed also had disabilities, the union said.
“We have concerns about what alternative work DHS will find for permanent staff members with disabilities. We’ll be working closely with members to ensure they’re found suitable positions and are provided adequate support from the department,” Ms Hunt said.
The volume of mail sent to Centrelink has dropped significantly, leading the Department of Human Services to end its contract with LEAD for mail sorting, and move both sorting and scanning functions to an existing contract with Australia Post.
Earlier this week LEAD told Fairfax Media that it was seeking other work for the 45-50 employees with disabilities who had worked in the sorting centre.
Human Services general manager Hank Jongen told Fairfax Media earlier this week that the department had consukted with staff about the change. All ongoing staff would be relocated to another departmental office, he said.
