Aged care jobs in Christchurch take earthquake hit

Quake-hammered Christchurch continues to be hit by redundancies, with New Zealand’s largest aged care business saying two rest homes will be closed, affecting 156 staff.

Alan Wood reporting in Business Day reported the Oceania Group saying the closure of the condemned sites, Woodchester in Shirley and Windermere in Papanui, will see the staff either redeployed or made redundant.

Many staff are worried about their future. Some believe they will leave Christchurch.

Some Oceania healthcare assistants reacted with anger after a company meeting over their future. They said management had treated them badly, not recognising work they did during a difficult period when they had battled to keep 120 elderly clients safe during the quakes.

Oceania Group chief executive, Geoff Hipkins, estimated about half, or 80 staff, would likely seek redundancy. Some of these would move to other jobs in the sector outside Christchurch.

“I think everyone who wants to stay in Christchurch will get a position … in the next two or three weeks.”

The company was committed to Christchurch, where it had eight facilities, including one in Rangiora, he said.

An insurance claim worth “tens of millions” would likely be submitted over the two damaged homes among its 59 aged-care facilities around New Zealand.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation spokeswoman, Lynley Mulrine, said those staff that ended up redundant would not have access to Government quake assistance because they were employees of a national company.

Instead, they would likely have to apply for other benefits.

Service and Food Workers Union spokesman, Alastair Duncan, said that during the quake emergency period workers had focused heroically on the elderly, but without the recognition that had been given, for example, to emergency services staff.

Oceania – the largest aged care provider in New Zealand and a powerful for-profit organisation – needed to treat staff well.

“Is it realistic to say to someone earning less than $15 an hour – which is the mean wage in Oceania – `we’ve got a job in Invercargill’, `we’ve got a job in Auckland’?”

That was in reality uprooting them, he said. Given the private company had strong investors such as the Australian-based Macquarie group, “we think more could be done for the staff,” Mr Duncan said.

There could also be other job losses impacting on the sector, with one of the Anglican homes badly damaged, he said.

Mr Hipkins said there were efforts being made to keep staff with the clients they usually worked with, to keep that “important bond” intact.