Jobs uproar in Wyndham

ASU secretary Lisa Darmanin said the union has written to all Wyndham councillors and local MPs about the council's plan "to tender out local jobs". Photo by Damjan Janevski. 209276_02

By Alesha Capone

Wyndham council has been labelled as “unconscionable” for a plan which could see eight employees and contractors let go in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian Services Union (ASU) said that six council employees, including three carpenters who live in Wyndham, recently found out they could be made redundant under a structural review.

At least two local plumbing and electrical contractors, also face the loss of their long-term contracts with the council.

Wyndham council is also exploring contracting its facility management services.

The Fair Work Commission last week supported the council’s decision to launch an expression of interest (EOI) process.

ASU secretary Lisa Darmanin said the union has written to all Wyndham councillors and local MPs about the council’s plan “to tender out local jobs”.

“Every job matters and for Wyndham to sack hard-working local residents during a global pandemic is unconscionable,” she said.

“When an organisation says local jobs are important, as Wyndham has, it needs to be backed up with decisions that prioritise local employment.”

But council’s city operations director Stephen Thorpe said the EOI process “will in no way impact the work currently undertaken by staff within the facilities team”.

Separately, last year Wyndham city began a review of the structure of its facilities area, he said.

“This review is ongoing and is a separate issue to the contracting out of facilities management services.”

Mr Thorpe said the council needed to review how it maintained facilities as the city’s population grows.

“Wyndham city is undergoing rapid growth,” Mr Thorpe said.

“We currently service 168 Council-owned or managed buildings.

“By 2030, council will be responsible for maintaining nearly 230 buildings across the municipality.

“With that growth, we need to continually look at the way in which we deliver and maintain our properties, to ensure we continue to deliver the best possible value for ratepayers.”