Public sector workers fear the axe

The city’s public servants fear their jobs are at risk after attending a public forum last week.

The NSW premier Barry O’Farrell, addressed concerns about the threat of job losses in the public sector at the forum, but many community groups believe there will be significant job cuts. Channel Seven produced the forum, which included questions from teachers, nurses, firefighters and others within the public sector across Sydney.

Mr O’Farrell denied that his government has plans to decrease public sector jobs across the state, but he has yet to comment on proposed changes to current staffing ratios.

“The NSW Government is hiring more, not less, frontline staff. In fact in the past year we have hired 1011 additional nurses, 145 additional teachers and 150 more police,” he said.

But despite the assurances by the premier, many believe jobs losses are imminent. The Commission of Audit Interim Report into public sector management published last month made 52 structural recommendations for improving the state’s public service.

One of the changes suggested is to remove the current staff ratios for public jobs.

President of the NSW Teachers Federation, Maurie Mulhero, said the NSW government has committed to cutting jobs in the public sector at the cost of community needs, both in the state budget released last September, and now is validated by the audit report.

“This is the worst structural change that we have ever seen. This is not a shakeup, but a shakedown,” he said.

Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten, said cuts to staff spending should never be at the cost of the community.

“The Federal Government hopes that the NSW government recognises the importance the State’s hard working nurses, teachers and fire fighters and will not risk the health and safety of the NSW community for the sake of matching up numbers on its balance sheet”, he said in a statement on Friday.

Senior firefighter, Leighton Drury, spoke at the public forum on Wednesday, March 21. He said if cuts are made to the current staffing ratios, a loss of safety standards could put enormous pressure on emergency services.

“Basically it comes down to money. The problem we would have is that there would be unsafe minimum crewing. This would compromise our safety and that of the public”, he said.

The NSW Nurses Association (NSWNA) general secretary, Brett Holmes, says that nurses are also very concerned about the loss of public sector jobs. Nurses have been promised no change in staffing ratios until 2013, when their current award expires. Mr Holmes said that it will be only a matter of time before quality nurses move to the private sector.

“When the budget is tight, they just stop replacing people. They have no regard in treasury for patient care,” Mr Holmes said.

By SJ Malagre