Former employees and the Australian Services Union (ASU) have expressed their dissatisfaction with the response of the Police Assistance Line employer Serco Australia and the state government over job losses in Ballarat.
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The Courier reported last Thursday that job shifts were being cut back and staff called in to be told they were no longer required at the new centre, which opened in July with Police and Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville saying at least 300 jobs would be created.
Confusion has since arisen over how many positions actually existed at the centre, with former staff telling The Courier many of those who applied for work and did the intake never received shifts.
There is also some confusion over the number of jobs going, with the state government insisting the original 300 jobs would remain, while initial estimates of 150 losses are still being circulated.
The Courier can confirm at least 50 jobs have definitely gone from the centre, while others may be lost due to attrition.
One former employee who asked to remain anonymous ('I'm still searching for work now', they told The Courier) says over 50 staff were in the training group they started in: all of those staff have been told by Serco their contracts have been terminated.
Minister Neville reiterated the 300 jobs number in a statement to The Courier last Thursday, saying her 'expectation is that once the Police Assistance Line is running at full capacity, Serco will meet the quality and employment requirements to deliver this service.'
However sources have told The Courier that both Minister Neville and local government members were blindsided by Serco's actions in unilaterally cutting staff.
An ASU source said a meeting with Serco was unhelpful and contradictory, with the company blaming 'deviant fifth columnists' for leaking stories to the press, causing the company to act without telling unions.
I'm not going to sit there and pretend I give a shit about the job while this is going on.
- Former Serco employee
In a statement, ASU branch secretary Matt Norrey said the union was extremely dissatisfied with how Serco had handled the situation.
"Their failure to adequately consult about the job losses, the number of job losses and the process adopted to select those being made redundant; the numbers of loses and the process of selection is very questionable," Mr Norrey said.
"The ASU has met with Serco today and was not satisfied with the response to date. The ASU has requested further information from Serco and has not ruled out taking Serco to the Fair Work Commission and will be requesting a meeting with the Police Minister to raise our concerns."
The former employee told The Courier the process of having their contract terminated was just an extension of what had been a disillusioning job experience overall.
Receiving a phone call to ask them in for a 'conversation' about their future was humiliating and unnecessary, they said.
"It was like the dude on the phone just had a script to read, basically, and he was just going on, blah blah blah, so I told him I pretty much knew what was going on, and to just give it to me straight," the employee said.
Everyone is just pissed off and thinks it's disgraceful
- Former Serco employee
"He said, 'We will be terminating your contract from September 1.' I had read through the casual contract we had, and they didn't even have to give us that, so any shifts we had until then, we were welcome to do them - but why would I?
"I'm not going to sit there and pretend I give a shit about the job while this is going on.
"I said on the phone call, 'Well Serco's prepared, apparently, to offer me some support: what support does that entail? Would it be an option of further training through the uni? What about financial support?' And he said he'd send me an email. He didn't really know what he was talking about."
The former employee was then asked if they would like to put on list if in the future they rehired staff.
"And I said all my other opportunities were gone because I took this job - so why not? Not that it would be exactly awesome to go back there.
"Everyone is just pissed off and thinks it's disgraceful."
The employee says it wasn't until they had completed training were they told it would not be a permanent position, but instead a casual one. Night shifts were part of the job.
"They changed conditions after I had accepted the job. It's such a f**king shambles."
Serco insists job losses are due to lower than expected call numbers provided by Victoria Police.