Qld: Union wants government to guarantee regional hospital jobs

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2003
Qld: Union wants government to guarantee regional hospital jobs

BRISBANE, Dec 17 AAP - Union leaders have called on the Queensland government to pledge
to keep administrative jobs in small regional hospitals.

The Australian Services Union (ASU) said today it feared some jobs could be lost forever
under government plans to "cluster" jobs under its new Shared Services Initiative.

ASU secretary Julie Bignell said this could result in some administrative jobs gravitating
to larger regional hospitals, leaving small hospitals without positions such as paymasters.

The said while the union campaign was about jobs for its members, it was also about
providing jobs for local communities and stopping the drift to the cities.

"In regional Queensland the health department is a major employer and our fear is that
as people get promoted or move on to other work, their positions will not be filled,"

Ms Bignell said.

"The government has said that no one will be made redundant and that any jobs lost
will be through natural attrition, but if it's serious about keeping people in rural Queensland
it should be making sure that there are jobs there for them."

The union held talks with the parliamentary secretary to the minister for health, Lindy
Nelson-Carr, today.

"Ms Nelson-Carr listened to our concerns and agreed to convey our views to the minister
for health and the treasurer," Ms Bignell said.

"They are the ones who have to make the decisions on this and we are hoping to meet
them in the future to put our concerns directly to them."

AAP jfs/sc/jv/bwl

KEYWORD: HOSPITALS QLD NIGHTLEAD

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