FED: ABC childcare staff angry about lack of certainty on jobs

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2008
FED: ABC childcare staff angry about lack of certainty on jobs

CANBERRA, Dec 9 AAP - The union representing ABC Learning childcare staff is demanding
the company's receiver clarify which workers will have a job next year.

On Friday, ABC's receiver guaranteed to find childcare places for every one of the
110,000 children currently enrolled at the failed company's 1,042 centres.

The receiver says 656 centres will trade as normal next year, but there's been no guarantee
for staff at the remaining 386 centres.

The fate of those centres beyond December 31 remains unclear.

LHMU national secretary Louise Tarrant said the union had been pressuring the receiver
to reassess which centres were viable.

She expected a final list to be published "in the next few hours, if not days", but
said workers shouldn't be left in the dark.

"Our concern is very much about what will happen to the many thousands of workers in
those centres still under review," Ms Tarrant told ABC Radio.

"They (the receiver) gave no assurances of job guarantees for workers.

"They simply said they would clarify the position of workers and their entitlements this week."

The union's assistant national secretary Sue Lines also told the ABC workers were becoming
"rather angry" about the continuing uncertainty.

The LHMU was also worried the receiver won't "fully canvass" all options with potential
buyers or community representatives interested in taking over the centres before crucial
decisions were made, Ms Tarrant said.

"Before we face the situation of closures, mergers or major decisions about the fate
of centres we hope that there will be a proper process put in place," Ms Tarrant said.

Receiver Chris Honey, of McGrathNicol, said in a statement last week he would provide
a clearer picture for ABC centre staff this week.

AAP jcd/srp

KEYWORD: ABC

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