Calvary At Odds On Jobs

Newcastle Herald

Friday April 22, 2005

By ALICE KELLY Health Reporter

THE Hunter's largest nursing home will cut at least a quarter of its catering staff's hours and about a third of its cleaning positions.

Calvary Retirement Community Cessnock chief executive Ted Coupe said yesterday the cuts would not affect residents' care, and no staff members would be sacked.

"It won't compromise care, otherwise we wouldn't do it," Mr Coupe said.

However, the Health Services Union claims the "dramatic" cuts of more than 300 hours a week will "have a detrimental impact on the quality of care provided to those residents who are in most need of proper quality care".

"You can't simply reduce the numbers and maintain the same level of services," union Hunter organiser Bob Hull said.

He said residents and their families had been excluded from negotiations over the cuts but Mr Coupe said they had been told about the planned restructure.

Affected staff would have their hours reallocated or be given other jobs, he said.

"Nobody is going to be sacked," he said.

The union says affected staff have been told their positions will be "deleted" and that they will not have jobs at Calvary after June 1.

Mr Coupe confirmed the restructure would go ahead, despite talks continuing between management and staff over the cuts.

The changes would bring Calvary into line with industry standards, he said.

"It will match up with current expectations of care provision given the finances we have," he said.

Union general secretary Michael Williamson said Calvary's budgetary constraints reflected the Federal Government's refusal to properly fund aged-care homes.

"It is incomprehensible that [the] Little Company of Mary, owners of Calvary . . . now find themselves in this position bearing in mind they purchased the facility for $1 from the [Hunter New England] Area Health Service and have been subsidised by the State Government to the amount of $4.5 million for the first three years of operation," Mr Williamson said.