Staff and the community deserve candid answers
‘The questions raised warrant frank answers; what has been left behind is a state of collective distress and a sense of shock and injustice’
As current and past staff members of JewishCare, we feel compelled to respond to the CEO’s recent commentary (AJN 8/12) relating to staff redundancies.
The chief justification for the redundancies appears to be financial, the $2.48 million deficit. This extraordinary situation only came to public notice at the AGM on November 22, 2023, although the accumulating deficit must have been evident to management for a long period prior to that.
Selected staff were called in without forewarning less than a week later to be informed that they were to be made redundant (not “offered” redundancy as stated by the CEO in his commentary). Staff made redundant were presented with the option of taking up positions as support workers in Aged Care. This suggestion indicated a disregard for employees’ skills, qualifications and interests and to our knowledge was turned down by all concerned. In effect, there was no real choice but to accept the imposed redundancy.
Importantly, this decision occurred only a few months after a prolonged restructuring planning period lasting approximately two years. No mention was made of redundancies during this planning phase. At the end of the process in September 2023, all staff, including those later issued redundancy notices, were given new contracts, in effect indicating that their roles and contributions were valued and needed into the future.
Why then was a hurried review suddenly necessary in the intervening two months when there had been this long period of restructuring planning in the years preceding it? Why after years of reassurances that this would not occur, were the redundancies suddenly imposed? Did management not know of the deficit, which would indicate a major institutional failure; or if the deficit was known, why did it take so long to declare?
Staff and the community deserve candid answers to these questions. Certainly, at the ground floor level, there were longstanding concerns about the costs of the prolonged extensive restructure planning, and the extensive employment of consultants and external supervisors. The published treasurer’s report fails to provide any of the necessary details to allow a transparent examination of these and other key subcategories of expenditure (such as extravagant catering for the many welcomes and farewells given a pattern of rapid turnover in staff).
Clearly, given the current crisis in the community – unprecedented in modern times – how can it possibly be argued that “less” (staff) will be enough in providing community services to those in need, not least given the pending influx of large numbers of Israeli refugees? Making redundant staff with years of experience in community support simply makes no sense at this time.
The process followed in implementing the redundancies fell far short of best practice principles (as outlined by the Ombudsman, Fair Work Australia), especially by an agency that espouses humane, ethical and caring values. The guidelines stipulate that there needs to be “preparation” for staff prior to the redundancies being issued.
In addition, why was there no consultation with staff about ideas for containing costs and changing practices prior to selected personnel being called in “cold” to be told that they were to become redundant? Why was not a period of patience warranted in which the financial effects of natural attrition from resignations monitored (especially given the high rate of personnel leaving the agency in recent years)? Why was there not a call for voluntary redundancies, or offers of reduction in hours?
The CEO makes reference to the age range of staff made redundant. He fails to say that six of those made redundant were over 60 years of age – a skewed distribution indeed – a wealth of experience and collective wisdom lost to the agency, especially as they each had more than 10-years experience at JewishCare.
The questions raised warrant frank answers; what has been left behind is a state of collective distress and a sense of shock and injustice, just at the time when staff and the community require faith in Jewish community agencies to promote a sense of reassurance, trust and faith in their ability to support the community (and staff) through the challenging times we live in.
JewishCare indeed! Is the agency still worthy of its name?
We write anonymously because our contracts instruct staff, past or present, not to make public commentary about the agency – itself an infringement of the basic right to free speech, risking that only one side of the debate will be heard.
The writers are current and past staff members of JewishCare.
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