More staff cuts at Merimbula Auswide
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Due to significant reduction in government funding in the last
12 months Auswide announced on Monday to retrench a further 16 staff by the end of January.
Six of these are from Head Office in Merimbula, the remainder are across other offices in NSW and ACT.
On Monday CEO of Auswide, Kevin Stevens, met with all staff and informed them of the decision.
The redundancies are effective after the relevant notice period has been advised with affected staff leaving the organisation over the coming weeks.
Auswide has been managing a tight budget over the last year in an ever tightening economic climate. With the prospect of no further government funding until at least May, and possibly longer, Auswide has made the decision to reduce staff.
“It is extremely unfortunate that we need to take this action at this time as the outlook for the medium and long term is a positive one. We have a number of tenders ready to submit for new programs in 2014 such as Green Army, Funding for Homeless People and Indigenous Employment
Programs – the outcome of these will not be known for a number of months and we cannot keep staff on without any money coming into the organisation,” Mr Stevens said.
A number of major employers throughout Australia are reducing staff due to the poor economic climate.
The Bega Valley is equally affected, with a number of job placement and community organisations reducing staff and empty shops in the three major centres, Bega, Merimbula and Eden, Mr Stevens said.
Auswide has been a major employer in the Far South Coast for many years and has recently completed a purpose built Skills Training Centre in Merimbula in a partnership with government.
It currently employs 70 people across NSW and ACT. The reductions announced on Monday will reduce this to 53.