Job losses at mental health service

Seven jobs will be cut at Nelson mental health organisation, Gateway Housing Trust.

A proposed restructure was announced to affected staff members two and a half weeks before Christmas and union representatives have confirmed that staff had now been told their jobs would be disestablished.

The trust provides services for people with mental illness across the upper South Island, including young people, and also provides residential and community support services.

‘‘We are extremely concerned about the job cuts,’’ E Tu Union spokesperson Alistair Duncan said.

‘‘We see this as an exercise in pennypinching at the expense of quality care, and we’re very dissatisfied at the information we’ve received so far from Gate- way.’’ Duncan said he would be meeting affected staff today to discuss timeframes and provide them with support.

‘‘We think the whole exercise has been rushed, ill thought-out, and potentially is going to impact negatively on the people Gateway is there to support.

‘‘If you don’t have managers who are feeling supported and confident in their roles, then other staff are going to feel they too are vulnerable.’’

Seven jobs, along with a role that is currently vacant, will be disestablished and staff will be asked if they want to reapply for newly created roles.

When the restructure was proposed, Gateway Housing Trust chief executive Tracey Tuhi said it was about streamlining the organisation.

‘‘At the moment our frontline staff have four layers of management above them,’’ Tuhi said.

‘‘All of the positions we are looking at disestablishing are middle management, so the proposal is designed to provide greater clarity, consistency and accountability within our organisation.’’

Tuhi said they began consulting with staff over organisational changes in July, and again in September, and a number of staff meetings were held.

But the union said no information about the specifics of the restructure had been provided until early December.

Duncan said the union’s submissions had also been largely ignored.

He said the union was disappointed at the timing of the cuts and the calibre of the information provided by the company which suggested detailed responses from the staff had been largely dismissed.