Wastenet plan slammed
A petition has been launched and a battle promised against a decision not to roll over the region’s recycling contract with a business that employs 90 people with disabilities.
For the past eight years Southland disAbility Enterprises has had a contract with Wastenet, which represents the three Southland councils, to recycle the region’s wheelie bin collections.
However, Wastenet has decided not to renew the contract, which expires on June 30 next year, and instead put it out to tender. If the contract goes to another company, 90 Southlanders with disabilities face losing their jobs.
Margaret Fitzgerald, who has a sister working at the plant, said the families would fight to keep it open.
Her sister, Mary-Ellen Joyce is one of the workers with disabilities who will be affected if the contract is not renewed. ‘‘To close Southland disAbility Enterprises would be like losing her family, it would be such a wrench.’’
An online petition has been launched and the Southland councils can expect to be lobbied, Fitzgerald said. It had nearly 1800 signatures by 5.30pm yesterday.
Invercargill Licensing Trust board member Sean Bellew said the decision not to renew the contract made him feel ashamed to be a Southlander. The work at Southland disAbility Enterprises allowed people with disabilities to integrate into the mainstream and have a purpose, he said. To allow the ‘‘dollar value’’ of a better contract to take precedence over that was appalling.
If it came down to just business and the bottom line, then the ‘‘wrong people’’ were leading the community.
The community had given the recycling company financial grants over the years, including $786,000 from the ILT in the past 20 years, he said.
Gary Tong, the Southland District mayor, said negotiations had been ongoing, with the three mayors getting involved, but it was decided the only option was to go to tender. ‘‘It’s a money thing . . . we were looking at a significant increase in this contract price.’’
All three councils believed it was too much to accept without going to the market, Tong said. Southland disAbilty Enterprises could tender for the contract, he said.
The councils had to do the most cost effective thing for the ratepayers, but Tong said the decision was not taken lightly. The workers at Southland disAbility Enterprises were at the front of their minds, he said.
Southland disAbility Enterprises board chair Stephen O’Connor said the councils had put the recycling contract out to tender to test the market. ‘‘As a ratepayer I would suggest that’s the prudent thing to do.’’
He confirmed Southland disAbility Enterprises would enter the tender process.
‘‘People are upset and uncertain about the future but it’s not a done deal, hopefully our contract stacks up.’’
Southland disAbility Enterprises general manager Hamish McMurdo said his biggest concern was for the future of the workers if the contract was lost. They loved going to work each day, they made friends and improved their interpersonal and job skills.
If they were not at work it would affect their families who may have to give up their jobs to look after them.
‘‘There’s quite a social impact on the community if these guys aren’t here doing what is a meaningful task for the community.’’