Bundaberg aged care workers must be redeployed locally: AWU

Aged care workers at Bundaberg’s Millbank Aged Care Facility must be redeployed locally after operator Blue Care announced its intention to shut the facility in June, according to the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU).

40 workers are now in limbo and are concerned they may have cuts to their hours or even no jobs at all come June if Blue Care doesn’t commit to redeployment in the Bundaberg region without loss of income.

Blue Care has two other facilities in Bundaberg, one across the road called ‘Riverlea’ and one down the street called ‘Pioneer’.

AWU Central Queensland District Secretary Tony Beers said, “We are calling on Blue Care to commit to redeploying all affected staff to other local facilities should they choose to be.

“In a time when local aged care workers’ workloads are already stretched to the limits, it makes no sense for Blue Care to not step in now and commit to protecting local aged care jobs and their existing hours.

“Closure of Blue Care’s Millbank Aged Care Facility in Bundaberg will no doubt have a stressful impact on both the aged care workers and its residents.

“There are residents who have been told Millbank is their home and now they need to go through the stress of being essentially evicted from that facility and placed into another.

“This will be a stressful time for both our members working in the industry and for the Bundaberg community more broadly,” Beers said.

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