Communist Party of Australia

Workers employed at Australia’s Defence childcare centres are fighting an attempt by the new operator to cut their conditions of employment. Newly-formed company B4Kids Pty Ltd has won the contract to operate twenty-one childcare centres which look after the children of Defence personnel on Defence bases around the country.

“Childcare workers at these Defence centres have received non-negotiable offers of employment from B4Kids which significantly reduce their terms and conditions of employment. Workers are telling us they’ve been told to sign or not to come to work,” said Sue Lines, assistant national secretary of the LHMU – the childcare union.

“B4Kids has changed workers conditions of employment by refusing to continue employing staff on their current agreement. This means some staff will lose conditions. They are also imposing a six-month “qualifying period” for all employees regardless of how long they have worked at the centres. Removing these workers’ right to unfair dismissal protection is outrageous after everything they have been through since ABC Learning went into receivership in November.

“As if that wasn’t bad enough, we believe that B4Kids is unwilling to take on workers at the centres who are currently on maternity leave. Instead, the workers have been made redundant. One of these workers is due to have her baby next week.”

Ms Lines said the government needs to intervene urgently to ensure the workers get a fair deal to ensure the children of Defence personnel who protect the security of the nation are not affected.

“It’s time for the government step in to fix up this mess.

“The LHMU is appalled that six long months after ABC Learning went into receivership they have an operator who appears to be unwilling to negotiate and has not yet met with the union.

“Like their colleagues in other ABC centres, these workers are the heroes of the crisis which followed the collapse of ABC. They have continued to provide quality, consistent care for families, despite the uncertainty and anxiety about their own futures.

“We’re concerned that unless B4Kids changes its attitude towards their new workforce, the workers will vote with their feet and leave the centres. We know that’s not in the best interests of the families,” said Ms Lines.

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