Parents and residents say they are “outraged” by Hobsons Bay council’s decision to outsource two childcare centres.
As reported by the Weekly, last week’s Hobsons Bay council meeting collapsed in disarray after councillors were split over a decision to contract out Altona Meadows and Altona North early learning centres for 170 children.
Parents will this week launch a campaign to keep the centres under council management.
The Weekly understands that expressions of interest for a new tenderer are not set to go out until March.
Mother Laura Jarratt said parents were outraged that the council had not spoken to them about the centres running at a loss.
“What is most upsetting is that we weren’t consulted about the financial issues.
“My thoughts were, why weren’t we given the opportunity to reduce these costs?
“Why weren’t we empowered to get together and say, ‘well, what can we do to maintain the centres as they are?’ We’re very concerned for staff because they set the standard for quality in the centre.”
The Weekly was told 80 childcare staff would have to reapply for their jobs and, if successful, would retain their pay but only until their current enterprise agreement runs out in 2016.
Before last week’s council meeting, concerned parents had met Australian Services Union (ASU) organisers, who later attended the council chambers.
A union insider, who requested anonymity, said the ASU was particularly upset with Cr Luba Grigorovitch, the council’s women’s charter champion who is set to make history in February by becoming the first woman to lead Victoria’s male-dominated Rail, Tram and Bus Union.
The decision to outsource was made last month in-camera or behind closed doors. Cr Tony Briffa was overseas at the time.
Last week, Cr Grigorovitch told the council meeting that councillors who voted to outsource – understood by the Weekly to have been a unanimous decision by those present – “were not well enough informed about wages and other variables”.
She moved an urgent motion to defer the outsourcing pending “proper and thorough community consultation”, saying that given most childcare workers were women, a wage cut would be “a slap in the face for 52 per cent of the population”.
Cr Briffa was the only councillor to support the motion to block the move.
Councillors Colleen Gates and Peter Hemphill voted with mayor Sandra Wilson to continue plans to contract out the centres, while Paul Morgan abstained from voting and Angela Altair had left earlier due to family commitments.
Hobsons Bay Residents Association co-convener Jason Price said childcare workers were some of the lowest-paid and undervalued employees in Australia.
“I am disappointed all six councillors – including Cr Grigorovitch – supported the motion to change the management structure of two local childcare centres without any consultation with the community and staff, and did it behind closed doors.’’
Councillors Hemphill and Wilson declined to comment after the meeting.
Cr Wilson had earlier said it was inequitable to ratepayers for the council to keep the centres in-house. ASU women’s officer Jane Karslake said the decision deserted families and workers.
