Job Uncertainy

[FlashDrive]

Not sure what's happening with my job at the moment ... Mr Newman .. the new Premier of QLD is ' reducing ' the Qld Health Service ... People are concerned where they stand ... includes all level of workers ... including higher management.. middle management.. and us down at the ' coal face '

If my job goes at work .... may have to put the TeleVue 85 up for grabs .... it's called ' survival mode ' :mad2: ... but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm not going to rush into things ... but some have already been given notice that their ' position ' is to be abolished.

Flash .. !!

[Octane]

Fingers crossed for you, mate.

H

[tlgerdes]

Jump before the ship sinks

[gregbradley]

That's a bummer.

Perhaps start finding out availability of competing jobs so you have Plan B already to go.

And do it before everyone finds out their status and flood the market with applicants of similar jobs in the
private sector.

Greg.

[supernova1965]

Health yep that's a great place to make cuts great. Hope all is ok with your job flash.

[FlashDrive]

Thanks for the supporting words fellas ... makes ' one ' feel better ... yes indeed .. fingers crossed ...!! :prey:
Flash .. !!

[Larryp]

Best wishes-hope you are not one to go.

[Liz]

Know what you mean Colin, from another Qld Health employee .... worrying times for many. Good luck. :thumbsup:

[mithrandir]

Colin, it might be an opportunity rather than a total bummer.

I got the shoulder tap a week or so back, so will be unemployed in a couple of weeks.

[FlashDrive]

Thanks Laurie :thanx:

Flash ..!!

[Shark Bait]

I hope that you are not caught up in Can Sack-Em's slash and burn.

Health and Education are areas that we should all hold sacred.

The State Gov't is shutting down the library that my Sister-In-Law works in. They will all be looking for work.

[mozzie]

hope your job is safe colin it's a hard time at the moment !!!!!!!!!!there's so much uncertainly people just don't know where they stand at the moment...
i'm a brickie and cancelled 3 weeks out of astrofest work had been a bit up and down and then we had a big push for work and i wasn't going to knock any back and where still buissy..thank goodness

[GrahamL]

Hope it works out Colin,, giving your jobs to contractors ? .. or just plaIn cutting services?.. the savings gained are ultimately lost to the comunity in the longer term in all the angst and uncertainty this throws in all peoples lives .

[brian nordstrom]

:mad2: I feel for you Mate ! its Bull sh!% that they even think cutting a few 100 jobs is going to save anything , fools !! .
My ex in NZ is a nurse and the NZ govt did a slash and burn on the hospitals about 10 years ago and she was one without a job :shrug: along with lots of other coal face workers :mad2:.
To cut a long story short mate she was offered a nursing position at the other end of the country ( woaw thanks !!) and I was fully employed at the time building the Anzac Frigates , so well mate that was the end of our 10 year relationship . Long distance relationships dont work ..
All the best Colin , I am rooting for you .
Brian.

[FlashDrive]

Contracting Out .... is the ' rumor ' at the moment .... if that happens .. I would have to ' re-apply ' for my Job ( not guaranteed of being selected ) ... and no doubt have to accept a much lower hourly rate ... akin to what Hungry Jacks pays their Staff.

or....

Sorry .. here's your severance pay .... see you later ..!!

Flash .. !!

[brian nordstrom]

:mad2: Restructuring !!!! , as I just said mate this same thing happened in NZ 10 yrs ago .
Either take the new position for less $$ or some one else will .. Mongrels .:mad2:.
Brian.

[FlashDrive]

On a ' lighter ' note .... I know ... let's all pass the ' hat ' around for Flash .. All proceeds towards the ' Flash Foundation ' :lol:

Gosh ... I still have a sense of Humor .:D

Flash .. !! ;)

[FlashDrive]

Brian ....That's probably what I would do mate.

Flash ..!!

[Ric]

Sorry to hear that Colin.

I work for health down here and it's pretty much the same deal.

Contract out as much as you can and cut everything else.

So long as the bottom dollar on the balance sheet looks good.

[ZeroID]

Good luck Colin, hopes it pans out for the best.

I went through it about 2 years ago. got my old 'job' back as a contractor next day losing quite a bit of $$ in the process.
So now they gets what they paid for, 8:30 till 5:00 I do exactly what the contract specifies, no more. I lost a lot of benefits and hard cash from the employee status, insurance, medical, even parking. About $25,000 worth I reckoned. So they get $25,000 less value and I take no responsibility for all the other rubbish they still want but never get. And I walk at 5:00pm regardless.
I can retire in about 18 months so career etc means nothing but the whole process has left a bitter taste for sure.

[jenchris]

I got turfed by my company a couple of years ago - in a second round (of about 4 rounds) of cuts. I was coalface - my company was not public sector.
Downturn is downturn - I'm sure we don't want to be like Greece is at the moment. Or Spain.
Half the problem now seems to be legacy stuff. Empire builders from the Bligh era gov producing so much red tape that no one wanted to invest in building anything (I'm a civil drafter) because they wanted so much money to 'set up' a block.
If investment dries up, so does everything else - it's called killing the goose.
Bligh killed the goose, now the next government is holding the tattered remains.
Obama has the same problem in USA - Legacy of Bush admin. He's being blamed for Bush's cr*p.

You have my sympathy Flash, but don't blame Newman

[Suzy]

Hi Collin, Sorry to hear what you are going through right now, it must be quite stressful. I hope thing work out in some way for the better. Keep those spirits up, it's what will see you through.

[casstony]

Victorian govt has it's own razor gang at work and my wife's job is in limbo. Labor needed to be kicked out because they did a poor job but it's given this lot the excuse to slash and burn - hopefully a one term govt.

[stardust steve]

I hope you get to keep your job. Someone in my immediate family has just been informed that their position working in a mining related industry is no longer available. May be due to the recent shelving $30 billion Olympic Dam plans. I hope no one else has been affected.

[FlashDrive]

You know ... your a great bunch ... and I appreciate all the support and understanding you have given regarding my Job circumstances

Yes ... I'm not 'Robinson Crusoe' with this kind of uncertainty ... there are others to... who have a ' not so clear ' future.

Thanks for coming ' along side ' people :thanx:
I ( and others ) have about 3-4 weeks to see where all this leads us.

Flash ..!!

[MattT]

Hey Flash,
Don't let the turkeys get you down.
Same down here with the twit that was elected a while back....the easiest thing is to attack public education and health something most pollies would have no experience of at all. Thinking of you... and instead of of selling the TV lease it out to the so called economic experts in the government, so they can examine their health policy close up!
Cheers Matt

[Louwai]

I feel for you Colin.
I'm in an Engineering consultancy. The resources boom died ages ago despite what is on the telly.. We've been hanging on for mths now, but the redundancies have started. Our entire office in Emerald has closed. Brisbane office cuts have started.
It won't be long I feel......

[Astro_Bot]

Sorry to hear the news, Flash. I hope you can hang on there.

[Tandum]

Plan ahead Colin. My wife is a 40year vet of Main Roads / Transport and has also been told to look for other options. She writes the documents they pass into law in parliament so I dunno who will be doing that in future.

My son works for communities on a temp contract that runs out in September. He has just moved back home in anticipation of being axed. It's like bielsibub has moved in with us :)

We know of one young couple who bought a house together a year or so ago and both have been sacked. There will be a lot of foreclosures like this on the market.

Not good at all. I'm self employed and my business is down about 60% on 2 years ago.

How old are you? Over 45, move to the beach and fish, you'll never get another job.

[jenchris]

I'm 60 - I've been out of work 2 years now - contract work for the two years before that - and not much of that.
I gave up last christmas.

[Zhou]

Sorry to hear about your plight Colin; I heard things are pretty rough in Queensland at the moment. What ever happens I guess you have to make the most of a crappy situation.

Chin up :)

[ZeroID]

Just keepin' my fingers crossed for you all .... and myself.
Got 18 months till retirement, the job is pretty crappy but if I lose it now I don't think there will be another. So head down and mouth shut.

[JZG]

Good luck Colin.

My position (in the private sector) was made redundant a few months ago. With support from family and friends, it's proving only a difficult rather than a shattering experience.

Go right ahead and blame Newman.

[FlashDrive]

I'm 57 in 11 days time ... and Jenchris (I'm 60 ) .... oh ...!! crap ... not good at all ...!!

Flash .. !!

[multiweb]

It's dead everywhere and it's going to get worse. Just hang tight for now. Good days will return eventually. Part of the cycle.

[Bassnut]

Mmm, I'm close to 60 and self employed in the "health" (well "diisability") industry, and I'm busier now than I have been in 20yrs, it's gone nuts in the last year. From what I understand the ageing population is ramping up the health sector a lot. Perhaps a job in the private sector not affected by gov funding is the key, there must be lots of work out there, the population is ageing at an increasing rate :shrug:

[AndrewJ]

Gday Freddy



I'm still only getting older at one year per year :D

Andrew

[MrB]

Hope it all works out for you Flash.



This situation was nicely covered in season 3 and, mostly, season 4 of 'The Wire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_(season_4)#Reception)'

[rat156]

I thought political discussions were a breach of the TOS?

[casstony]

Only when trouble makers bring it up :)

[brian nordstrom]

:) Thats right there Tony.
I am on the under side of 50 and a Boilermaker by trade , have been since I was become a tradesman at 20 yrs old , I signed up at 15 years old ( life is the best teacher ) , and the up and comers in my trade are not getting the training that was given to us oldies , my apprentiship was 9000hrs long ( 5 years ) the young fellas today ***** having to do 6000hrs ? :shrug: they are our future ? . its sad , and our pollies think inporting overseas 457 visa workers is the answer ,, :sadeyes: they still have a lot to learn . I feel for the young up and comming tradsmen in Australia today , not much future for them :question: .
Stay hard Colin , I will see you in november during the total eclipse .:thumbsup:.
Brian.

[ourkind]

Big International bank hiring Call Centre staff in Sydney. PM if interested.


Job details:
We are currently seeking Customer Sales & Solutions Officers with a service heart to deliver optimum customer service to a wide variety of customers. The Sydney Contact Centre is a dynamic and diverse environment operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The centre places a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction and fulfilling client needs through appropriate sales. This bank offers a strong culture of teamwork & loyalty with plenty of opportunities for advancement based on merit and achievement.

Some of your key accountabilities will include:


Responsible for a consistently high level of customer satisfaction
Position cross-sell opportunities to fulfil clients needs appropriately
Empathise with the customer when problems occur and take ownership for resolving issues
Anticipate the customer’s needs and respond quickly and accurately in a professional manner
Transform sales/service enquiries into enhanced customer relationships
Identify and report inadequacies in operations and services to the designated stakeholders
Some of the key requirements for this role are as follows:

A strong sales focus
A passion for outstanding customer service
Drive and determination to solve customer requests
Customer service experience
Problem solving ability
Demonstrated behaviour of high professional and ethical standard
Previous Call Centre experience desirable

[Stardrifter_WA]

Just think.....in 20 years time today will be considered the good ol' days! :D

[Stardrifter_WA]

Flash, I am only a year ahead of you and well know the problems faced in securing ideal employment. I have been out of full time work for nearly four years, after being made redundant. Finding a full time job is hard, however, I fail to see why it is so hard when there is supposed to be labour shortages.

The problem as I see it is this......you have to be 20 years old, good looking, with a perfect healthy body, have 50 years experience and more than one trade and be a non-unionist. Then and only then, it seems, may you have a chance of getting a job.

I have a trade, four diplomas, several certificates and a number of different licences, a fantastic work ethic, with an outstanding employment record, but it appears that I am unemployable. :mad2: Or maybe I am just too damn cynical.

I sure hope that you don't get made redundant Flash. Good luck.

Cheers Peter

[astroron]

I had a similar experience to you Peter,:(
I was given the boot from Telecom at the age of 58 after sixteen and a half years, and with lots of licenses and operators certificate's
I was unable to get a job for quite a few years ,I only small jobs that didn't last long.
Out of the seven years before I retired, I only worked for about 3.5 years.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Stardrifter_WA]

True that Ron. Unfortunately I still have 7 years to retirement, besides which I cannot afford retirement anyway. :question: Oh dear. :)

[FlashDrive]

UpDate :

At work yesterday ....had a meeting ... doesn't look good ... if I'm lucky ... might get half the hours I'm doing now ..... Health Department is ' culling ' jobs and work hours in the name of ' saving ' money..... All workers are fair game.... including Management.

Might not completely lose my Job .... but work hours ' cuts ' are definitely on the agenda

I have ' investments ' tied up .... that I don't want to touch.... hence my ad in the Telescopes and Mounts.

Flash.!!

[Stardrifter_WA]

Sorry to hear that you may get your hours cut Colin, that just sucks, but then, look on the bright side....working part-time isn't so bad either....you get to have really late nights (observing) and get to sleep in the next day. :D

I work part time, mostly because I cannot find a full time job. Although the money is sometime tight, I have gotten used to it. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have the extra money, but then think....nahhhh, that means I have to get out of bed early :P

Anyway Colin, they may cut your hours, but you are still there, so when they realise they can't get the work done, they will have to extend your hours, again. :)

Cheers Peter

[astroron]

Peter, one of the best things I have ever done was buy my own home and have no payments such as rent,so at least I have a roof over my head, and don't have to find such exorbitant dollars to pay the landlord:D
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Stardrifter_WA]

Yes, Ron. Owning one's house takes a big burden out of the survival equation. I too have no debt, for which I am very thankful for, but that is by design. I haven't paid rent in nearly 30 years! :)

It would be really nice to have a full time job with good money, as there is much I would still like to accomplish, but then, I ain't going to kill myself doing it either. :D

I am reminded of an old adage "money doesn't bring you happiness", BUT I like to add "it sure does bring a better class of misery!" :lol:

[FlashDrive]

Now isn't that the ' Truth ' :D

Flash .. !!

[FlashDrive]

It's started .... 45 Nursing Positions from North Qld have gone ... announced on the evening news tonight. ... ( I hope your not one of them Liz )

and the Premier promised .... no ' front line ' jobs would go ..!!

and there are according to Mr Newman ..... 400 ' ghost jobs ' in Qld Health .... in other words ... Phantom jobs that don't need to be there. :shrug:

to be continued .... !!

Flash ..!!

[supernova1965]

People will start saying they didn't vote for him it's not my fault:screwy:. They could have just asked me I would have told them what would happen:P

[multiweb]

The problem doesn't come from him cutting down it was introduced by the previous gvt creating non sustainable positions and inflating the public sector.

[FlashDrive]

Update


....it's now 3 Doctors... 45 Nursing Positions and some Administration Staff to go ....!! .... from up North.

[supernova1965]

Tell that to the people that were finally getting the treatment they badly need I am in the middle of trying to get a diagnosis of possible MS or MD and things were going well up until now it scares me what will happen now with trying to find out what the problem is. Health isn't something that has jobs for the boys every job in the health system is needed.

[MortonH]

Keeping my fingers crossed for everyone that might be affected.

[blink138]

i think thats crap marc......... read flashs post a couple up "no frontline jobs etc......" it was a blatant lie to get elected and working on the premis that the general public have the long term memory of a goldfish.... well...
it will be a taste of whats going to happen if jug ears gets in i reckon!
pat

[PCH]

I don't want to be alarmist or anything, but we so often follow the way the UK does things. I just hope not in this case, since we're talking abnout the health sector ...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/health-warning-over-army-of-nhs-temps-8101469.html

[blink138]

well paul there has never been a more true adage than "if you pay peanuts you get monkeys"
pat

[multiweb]

I thought it was middle management positions that were being culled, not the front line jobs i.e doctors, nurses etc... Maybe too much non critical staff inflating costs. Private sectors has the same kind of culling when hard times come around. Restructuring will be the answer in the long term. The main problem with QLD seem to be people from remote outback not having adequate access to good service though.

[AndrewJ]

Gday Pat



Or conversely,
if the clients only have peanuts to spend,
they can only afford monkeys.
I think the problem is more associated with the fact we no longer have the money to afford all the systems we want the govt to provide.
The downward wage pressure that has been applied to the unskilled workforces recently is simply moving higher up the foodchain.

Andrew

[multiweb]

This major Payroll stuff up sealed the deal too. What a disaster.

[AndrewJ]

Gday Marc



Lets see, we can swap you

one desal plant
one Myki ticket system
one smartmeter rollout
neverending unfunded public servant superannuation/pension

if you are interested.
You have to remember, for every stuffup,
someone else is profiting:D

Andrew

And today i hear the Vic Govt is killing off the solar feedback tariffs
from 25c to 8c.
Nothing like getting a critical mass hooked in and then
cutting em off at the knees.

[multiweb]

:lol: Yep $140 billion now. I can already see the vultures circling my SMSF. :scared3:

[casstony]

You forgot the North/South pipeline Andrew :).

No political party has a good balance of socially and finacially responsibile policies, such that we alternate between shooting the plebs and running up debt. How many of us saved money in the boom to cushion the coming bust - the governments sure didn't - they should be rolling in cash right now.

[AndrewJ]

Gday Tony



They are,
you just have to be in the high rollers club to see it.

As i mentioned earlier,
bigscale "stuffups" always means someone makes a profit.

Andrew

[Liz]

... another 200 jobs to go up here, including a large majority of nurses. Am not sure how this can be achieved without closing beds???

Hoping my job is OK at this stage. :shrug:

[astroron]

Hi Liz, I hope you keep your Job, Best of luck.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Barrykgerdes]

I love it. I made sure I was on it in 1967. While others were leaving and cashing in I stayed with the CPS. Now I am laughing all the way to the bank. Been collecting now for 22 years. never been so well off!:thumbsup:

Hard luck all you suckers who pay to keep me in clover.:lol::lol:

Barry

[brian nordstrom]

:mad2: My word Liz , this sort of cost cutting happened in NZ about 10 years ago , my partener at the time is a nurse and she got the chop as well ,,, ;) ..
But its ok , she was offered a position in Rotorua , but we lived in Whangarei , 700km's away , just like that the powers that be expected us to spend $1000's shifting because some bean counter thought it was the way to go ,, man it SUX.. I can see OZ going down the same parth NZ took back then , its WRONG!:question:.
Needless to say our relationship , and our kids suffered badly , but the powers that be :mad2: did not count that into their schemes .$$$$$$ .
Brian.

[Stardrifter_WA]

That's probably correct. Furthermore, we have been living beyond our means for some time and it was inevitable that we would have to pay. It appears that we have, or are, reaching that point. The great GFC isn't in the past, we are still in it and we still have a way to go, maybe decades probably before we truly see the end of it.

Governments, like households, cannot keep racking up debt because, at some point it has to be paid back, or the interest alone exceeds our ability to pay it back. Many countries around the globe, including the US are reaching the point where the cost of servicing the loan is greater than GDP. Take Greece for instance, which currently stands at approximately 165%. If you owed 165% more than you earned, what then? And they are far from being orphans, as there are many countries facing that very dilemma.

Its scary really as global demand is reaching the point where we will not be able to meet that demand, let alone pay for it. Take China and motor vehicles, for instance; just imagine if China's standard of living continues to increase and the 1.3 billion population reaches the same level of motor vehicle ownership as western countries, where will all the fuel come from? As it is, China's demand for oil is pushing fuel prices ever higher, thus fuelling inflation (no pun intended).

It really is a house of cards, at some point it has to collapse. Growth cannot continue indefinitely! At some point the piper has to be paid, and there is no escaping that. Usually it is us poor plebs, if you are unfortunate to be one, who suffer the most.

Unfortunately, governments mostly only look to the past and how they can stay in power for the next three or four years. So, sorry to say, don't look for the solution there.

We are fortunate to live in Australia, with a debt to GDP ratio of approximately 22.9%, one of the lowest in the world, as compared to the US at 99.4% and the UK at 65.7%.

Unfortunately, there are going to be some changes and I just hope we can all survive them relatively intact and Australia probably will, which is why there are changes being implemented now. It is what is making us very attractive to people overseas.

[AndrewJ]

Gday Baz

All it takes is the swoosh of a pen and its over.

I personally reckon if its good enough for us to have our super at the risk of the market, its good enough for the pollies/public service.
Like this little beauty that just came out

http://www.investordaily.com/cps/rde/xchg/id/style/14871.htm?rdeCOQ=SID-0A3D9632-98A4F01B

I really liked this bit


Bit like Ooops, we stuffed up your investments but its not our fault,
and anyway, the law says that we can collect 200 and not go to jail,
so lets see what else we can invest in meantime.

Got a flyer during the week that "Local" council rates will be going up bigtime again, as the state govt forces the local councils to fully fund the debt.
It wont last long at this rate.

Andrew

[Stardrifter_WA]

Just think Andrew, despite the "cost of living" it remains very popular. :P

[supernova1965]

All this while the currant qld government is giving the racing industry $110 million in funding:screwy::shrug:

[AndrewJ]

What does???

Andrew

[Larryp]

Living, I guess

[DavidTrap]

Your concern for the plight of your fellow man in this time of economic uncertainty is duly noted.

DT

[CometGuy]

I sincerely feel for you guys in the QLD public service. Stick in there!

Terry

[Tandum]

How did you go Flash?

My misses is out. 40 years service means nothing. They sacked everyone over 50 in her area.

[supernova1965]

Very sorry to hear hear this

[Rob P]

20% culled from the branch where I work. It has not been a pleasant time over the last few months; hanging about, writing your own resume. And then, yesterday, waiting for the tap on the shoulder...stressful.

Fortunately my position was not deemed as surplus to requirements, but I've still gained a few more premature grey hairs.

Good Luck to those entering the job market.

[GrampianStars]

$90K for proofreading @ taxpayers expense
NOT on! :screwy:

[casstony]

I saw on the news last night that the govt is going from deficit to surplus in their first term - seems they could cut half as many jobs and just take a bit longer to reach surplus. Hopefully the pain they're inflicting will come back to bite them at the next election.

[AstroFlyer]

So sorry to hear that Robin
I am in the process of being medically retired from my job.
26 years on the job, 2 years ago I had an accident at work & now they are putting me on the scrap heap.
I'm 46 years old, with stuffed shoulder & with current changes to workers comp no prospect of any real payment/ compensation.

[Colin_Fraser]

Forum members and their families are losing their jobs and income and you come up with a remark like that.
I feel sorry for you.

[GrahamL]

I read a couple of days ago somewhere that the audit former treasurer Peter Costello did on QLDs finances to justify all this misery was judged to be seriously flawed. and its not over yet as hes another to release probably in the new year .

[FlashDrive]

Well ...hrs are down .. I'm somewhere in the middle of the queue ... those who were up the front ( some of them ) have been ' shafted '.... the front gate's that way ... !! :(

but ... won't know for sure until next March 2013.....apparently that's when all will stop.

I am ' marking time ' at the moment in this queue ... wondering ' if ' my bosses are going in to 'bat' for me and some others to retain our positions.

:shrug:. Flash ..!!

[mithrandir]

Colin, my boss and several other department managers wanted me to stay but were not given that option by the bean counters. My last day was Friday 7th. That was a week more than most of the other people made redundant got.

We've spent this week having a short holiday.

[FlashDrive]

Ohhhh ... that hurt's ... really hope you get a position with someone very soon.

Flash .. !!

[Tandum]

Glad to see some one survived. Now they are going to sack firemen? WTF?

[brian nordstrom]

:mad2: Oh it will Tony , and hopefully all these so called " Bean Counters " , " Consultants " etc .... get the chop then , see how they like it !!! .
Brian.

[casstony]

From the Financial Review by David Rowe: It's a perfect depiction of Newman - even his friends find him troublesome.

http://afr.com/rw/2009-2014/AFR/2012/09/12/Photos/a38284ee-fcd6-11e1-bb45-0ab6c0f91d92_gallery13sep12--736x505.jpg

[Colin_Fraser]

Not entirely Newman's fault.
Look at his heritage. The fruit does not fall far from the tree.