'Uncertaim future' for G.C.S. staff

Press, 25 February 1988, Page 18

'Uncertaim future' for G.C.S. staff

PA Wellington Up to 34 jobs could be lost when Government Computing Services becomes a limited company on April 1, according to the .State Services Commission. A staff member, who did not wish to be named, said people whose jobs were affected by the restructuring were still uncertain about their future and had not been told whether they were to be redeployed, retrained or paid off. Most of the staff affected had from 19 to 26 years of service, he said.

He estimated that redeployment of all staff would cost more than $1 billion.

Over the last five years, G.C.S. had made a profit of more than $42 million yet only about $lOO,OOO had been set aside for

redundancy payments, the staff member said. The general manager, Mr Mike Foden, disputed the staff member’s claim that G.C.S. had made a profit of more than $42 million over the last five years. “You can’t go back over the last five years because we have been operating under various financial regimes and they are not comparable,” he said. Mr Foden said that 450 of the staff affected had been offered jobs which were basically a continuation of their present jobs. G.C.S. has about 480 people on the payroll. The manager of the S.S.C.’s management of change unit, Mr Kevin Mcßride, said talks on the fate of the 34 staff members who had not been offered jobs were still under way with the Public Service Association.