Vic: Redundancies planned in by election seat, says union

AAP General News (Australia)
04-17-2000
Vic: Redundancies planned in by election seat, says union

A union says public servants in Benalla have been targeted for redundancies thanks
to a report commissioned by the former Kennett government.

The Community and Public Sector Union says the KPMG report targets redundancies across
many government departments.

And it says the new Bracks government has factored the report into its financial costings
ahead of its first budget, due to be handed down on May 2.

It says about 600 redundancies across the Department of Human Services will include
job cuts at Benalla - the location for a tense May 13 byelection.

CPSU state secretary KAREN BATT says the department has breached her members' awards
by failing to consult the union over the redundancies.

Ms BATT says the union has written to the DHS giving it until close of business tomorrow
to suspend the redundancy process, otherwise the union will take the department to the
Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

A spokeswoman for the state government says the offer of voluntary redundancies is
an annual event.

AAP RTV hmg/jd/smf/jn

KEYWORD: BENALLA JOBS (MELBOURNE)

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