The Community and Public Sector Union is deeply concerned with the announcement by the Director General of the City and Environment Directorate that there will be more than 100 job cuts from the Directorate.
While it is unclear where in the Directorate these job cuts come from, the union warns this will cause further anxiety to an already overworked and underpaid workforce.
The union also says the Barr Government must come clean with Canberrans by telling them which services they are planning to cut through this avaricious attack on workers.
There is further concern that staff at the Directorate are set to face additional duties, without being properly compensated and remunerated, if the Government does not reverse this short-sighted decision.
Canberran families rely heavily on the services delivered by the City and Environment Directorate including: public transport, waste management, planning and development of the city and the general upkeep of environmental layout and sustainability that make Canberra a great place to live.
The Territory is set to fall further behind on environmental, climate and sustainable living issues with roles in environmental policy and development potentially on the chopping block.
The CPSU urges the Barr Government to stop these savage job cuts and instead investigate ways to build and strengthen the ACT public sector by investing in jobs and delivering for Canberrans by valuing trained and trusted public sector workers.
Quotes attributable to Maddy Northam CPSU Regional Secretary
"Canberrans rely on workers in the City and Environment Directorate to maintain our bush capital, so it is extraordinarily disappointing to see the government cutting jobs from this critical directorate.
"These workers are already under the pump so any further job cuts will create an understaffed and overworked workforce, undermining service delivery that Canberran families rely on.
"With little detail beyond an EOI process, workers are anxiously awaiting further information about whether their teams and the communities they serve will be impacted"
"This workforce is vital in keeping public spaces safe and clean, in the design and development of the city and keeping our city running with public transport.
"On top of this, these job cuts risk our Territory falling behind on environmental and sustainable living matters which our community deeply values. These cuts could ripple through our community for years to come.
"The Barr Government needs to stop spending taxpayer dollars on wasteful consultants and labour hire firms and instead invest in public sector jobs.
"Canberrans and our bush capital will be all the better for it."
