Fed: No guarantees for ABC centre staff: union

AAP General News (Australia)
04-15-2009
Fed: No guarantees for ABC centre staff: union

SYDNEY, April 15 AAP - The childcare union has welcomed news that 210 threatened ABC
Learning childcare centres will remain open, but is worried staff have not been guaranteed
their jobs.

The ABC group went into receivership last November with debts of more than $1.5 billion.

More than 700 centres deemed viable are set to be sold off and remain in business,
but the remaining 241 were regarded as non-viable.

Court-appointed receiver PPB on Wednesday said operators had been found for 210 of
the remaining centres.

Keeping the centres open would save 80 per cent of jobs at the 241 centres, but operators
could not be found for 19 centres and they would close, PPB said.

Louise Tarrant, head of the LHMU which represents childcare workers, said the news
was a great turnaround from November when it was feared all 241 centres would close.

However, she said the announcement gave no guarantees workers at the 241 centres would
keep their jobs.

"The concern we have is that workers still do not know definitely if they have a job,"

Ms Tarrant told reporters in Sydney.

"Those in the 19 centres that are closing, they are looking at losing their existing
jobs ... and for those people in those centres that are being sold, the new operators
haven't given blanket guarantees of ongoing employment.

"We hoped today was going to be a final decision for everyone so parents and workers
would know definitely where they stand."

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KEYWORD: ABC UNION

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