Churches of Christ Update
We understand this is a very trying time for you in the wake of Churches of Christ (CofC) decision to hand back its Youth Residential, Supported Independent Living and Family Support Services contracts to the State Government.
Following the notification of dispute from our union CofC have sought to engage with our union as your representatives in a more proactive way and to genuinely consult.
CofC are working with us to ensure we can attend the upcoming consultation meetings over the coming weeks.
In every conversation we have with CofC and the Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services (the Department) we express the difficult position you have been placed in, between meeting your obligations to the young people you support and needing to ensure your ongoing employment to meet your financial and family commitments.
Despite our best efforts to get all parties in a joint meeting to ensure a more coordinated approach is taken to manage the transition of contracts, the Department and CofC have not worked together to achieve this outcome. We have however, continued our efforts to represent our members in meetings with the Department and CofC separately.
What has become evident in our engagement with the Department is their focus on finding interim places for the children and young people. This strategy presents challenges as CofC did not have a process to deal with situations where the Department move children and young people, on block, prior to 30 September 2023. This strategy also limits the opportunity to discuss employment opportunities with the interim providers. Feedback from both the Department and CofC indicates that a transfer of business is unlikely. What this means is from CofC we need to understand what redeployment options are available and how redundancies will be facilitated. From the Department we need to continue to explore future employment opportunities with the new service providers including consideration of maintenance or improvement of existing employment terms and conditions.
To assist us in the consultation with CofC we are seeking your feedback on your preferred option with regards to your employment. Please complete the following form to provide your feedback https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QH9X8BK . Keep in mind this is to assist us in the consultation discussions and your indicated preference.
We encourage everyone to continue spreading the word about your Union and the benefits of membership. Remember, the more members we have, the stronger our voice becomes. If your colleagues haven’t yet joined, they can at https://www.theservicesunion.com.au/tsu/join . Those impacted by this issue who join before the 30 July 2023,will have our initial servicing period (ISP) waived, after this date our ISP policy applies.
If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please complete our form by clicking here or contact Stuart Maggs on 0439 713 803 or by email [email protected]. Your input is invaluable as we strive to create a better work environment for all our members.