Jobs On Line At Coast Bases
Illawarra Mercury
Wednesday May 31, 2000
Three hundred South Coast jobs were on the line after a Federal Government decision to award a defence contract to a British-based multinational, unions said yesterday.
Cleaners, maintenance and security workers at HMAS Albatross and the HMAS Cresswell Navy bases at Nowra would be sacked, according to the Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union.
The company that won the contract, SERCO, had an anti-union approach that would result in the expected loss of 300 jobs, union organiser Bryan Smith said.
He said SERCO would offer less than 15 per cent of the existing workers the chance of getting their jobs back - but only if they signed individual contracts.
More than 200 members of the union were expected to rally at the HMAS Albatross today.
However, Federal Member for Gilmore, Joanna Gash, said the matter had been ``blown out of proportion".
She said only 17 former employees were still yet to be offered jobs by the new contractor.
``The new contract for SERCO includes positions for 198 people - 117 military and 71 civilian," Mrs Gash said.
``There have been all sorts of huge numbers thrown about but I am told there are only about 17 people still in doubt."
Mrs Gash said a letter from the Defence Minister had confirmed that five tenders had been received for the naval base contracts, including an in-house submission.
``I had supported the in-house option, but it was evaluated well behind the other tenders," she said.
``What should be noted is that all the tenderers advised they would reduce staffing levels."
Mr Smith said many workers had been offered positions with rates about $2.50 an hour lower than their old wage.
``There are former full-time employees from the cleaning staff at Cresswell who have only been offered part-time or casual work at Albatross," Mr Smith said.
``This drastic cutback is in a region which has among the highest levels of unemployment in NSW."
Workers wanted a collective agreement negotiated between SERCO and the union, based on the Defence Contractors Award.
``The individual employment contracts will offer little or no real job security," he said.
© 2000 Illawarra Mercury