Earle Haven staff unpaid
Hardships aired in State Parliament
AT LEAST six former Earle Haven staff members had to be provided with hardship payments while waiting for money owed by nursing managers HelpStreet.
The claims, levelled by Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union, follow revelations that nurses were concerned about the care and staffing at the Orchid and Hibiscus House wing of the facility in the weeks leading up to the facility’s collapse on July 11.
State Parliament hearings are investigating the contract breakdown between subcontractor HelpStreet and owner People Care that led to the emergency removal of 71 frail residents.
QNMU industrial officer Chris Murray said the union was still chasing entitlements owed by HelpStreet.
“I would use the word recalcitrant,” he said when describing HelpStreet’s response.
“We had people contacting us stating they were defaulting on their mortgages, they didn’t have enough money to put petrol in their cars to go to job interviews.”
Some payments have been made but the union estimates “several thousands” was still owed.
The union also confirmed they held a crisis meeting on the issues at the facility on July 5, less than a week before it was stripped and abandoned by care management group HelpStreet.
The union had drafted a letter to the managers of the nursing home about the issues and had intended to send it on the day of the breakdown,
“Our general consensus was this probably was an organisation under pressure,” Dan Prentice, QNMU research officer, said.
“If we as an organisation for our members could come to the view of the impending issues, it would be reasonable to expect the regulator would too.”
Team leader for the union Bernie O’Connor said she was first made aware of the July 11 incident after she received a distressed call from a member on site.
“I was then aware computers had been taken away. That made it a very different situation,” she said.
When asked if she felt the 71 elderly residents could have remained on site, Ms O’Connor said the lack of resources would have prevented it.
Ms O’Connor acknowledged the staff members who worked without payment.
“The walkout was a misrepresentation of what happened, not only did they not walkout, many came in,” she said.
WE HAD PEOPLE CONTACTING US STATING THEY WERE DEFAULTING ON THEIR MORTGAGES QNMU OFFICER CHRIS MURRAY