Closure of Uniting Care Furniture handled poorly
The meeting of volunteers organised by the Uniting Care Management on Monday 15th January, was unsuccessful in allaying my concerns and fears about how Uniting Care Management was managing this creative situation and the treatment of the two paid shop staff and volunteers. I resigned as a volunteer as well as four others at the end of the meeting. I cannot speak for the others in their reasoning in how and why they came to their decision to resign, but I can for mine.
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The meeting was robust in discussion, but the argument for logical, ethical and sound retail outcomes were ignored. There are some volunteers who have a significant level of expertise in retail and management, their contributions and their concerns and sound retail advice crashed against the twin towers of indifference and arrogance. They were dismissed in an arrogant way, yet management continually spoke about respect yet there was none in this discussion. The final straw for me was the concerns of other volunteers who worked in other areas of Uniting Care in how they are treated. There are some where about 180 volunteers for Uniting Care, this issue is how they were treated at Christmas by a christian organisation.
They received no acknowledgement for their hours and days of service. These volunteers put their heart and soul in giving and helping others less fortunate than themselves, for their dedication to Uniting Care, they did not even receive a Christmas card thanking them for doing extra hours or days when others volunteers were away sick or taking care of their family to ensure the successfully running of this Christian organisation. They have not received any form of consideration for their effort throughout the year in their dedication to the service to the Church. In my opinion the volunteers of Uniting Care have been been treated without respect or courtesy and without honour in helping the less fortunate. A volunteer at the meeting made the comment that care had disappeared for Uniting, this upset the management running this meeting, however truth is a hard pill to swallow.
I believe the Board of Management of Uniting Care need to take a serious look at how they are running uniting care and HOW they are treating the 180 plus volunteers.
For a Christian Organisation there is a serious LACK of Christian Charity to the volunteers and to the paid staff of the Antique Furniture shop who have worked beyond the hours and what has been required of them in their duties.
Paul Webster , Ballarat