Dear Member,

Thank you to everyone who attended the recent HSU member meeting regarding the closure of Aurora’s services and transfer to NovaCare and MSS. It was great to see members so active and supporting each other through this major workplace change.

There will be another HSU meeting on Tuesday, 30 April at 6.30pm, to check in with everyone and discuss the change as it progresses.

Zoom details: Members can join online at https://hsu-asn-au.zoom.us/j/83663720644 or by calling (02) 8015 6011 and entering meeting ID: 836 6372 0644

In the interim, please see an update on several ongoing matters raised at our last meeting.

Closure of Aurora services

The HSU met with Aurora management this week, to get an update on the timeline for closures. Management explained that as clients are transitioning to the new providers at a time of their own choosing – rather than at a single point – the closure of Aurora’s services will take place in stages.

However, management expect the first cohort of employees to be made redundant will notified in the week commencing 29 April 2024 (next week). Management said this first cohort will be “relatively small” and confirmed it will only include employees whose preference was redundancy. We have reiterated to Aurora management - any employees who are made redundant must be given a breakdown of their entitlements (including their redundancy package), so they can confirm this is accurate with their union.

The timeline for further rounds of redundancies is not yet set and will evolve as current clients move to new service provides. We have requested to be kept up to date as further stages are rolled out and we will inform members as soon as we have more information.

Cert III underpayments

Several members report being paid less than the minimum Award rate of pay of $30.11, for workers who hold a relevant Cert III qualification. The HSU has raised this issue on behalf of some members already, with Aurora agreeing to amend the rate of pay for those employees and back pay them the wages they are owed.

Any HSU members who hold a relevant Cert III qualification for their role and are not currently paid at or above $30.11 are encouraged to take the following steps:

• Obtain a copy of your relevant Cert III certificate
• Obtain a copy of your current payslip, showing you are paid less than $30.11
• Contact the HSU to register your underpayment.

Training underpayments

Several members have also reported potential underpayments regarding time spent undertaking compulsory training. The HSU is investigating this further and is keen to hear from members who may be affected.

Any HSU members who are concerned about payment for training are encouraged to that the following steps:

• Obtain copies of your training module certificates (which should include the expected time spent completing the module)
• Obtain copies of your pay slips from the same period
• Contact the HSU to register your potential underpayment.

Next steps

All HSU members are encouraged to attend the meeting next Tuesday, 30 April to discuss the ongoing changes.

Members can join online at https://hsu-asn-au.zoom.us/j/83663720644 or by calling (02) 8015 6011 and entering meeting ID: 836 6372 0644

Encourage your workmates to join the HSU. Together you have strength in your workplace. New members can join online at www.hsu.asn.au/join or call 1300 478 679.