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Union complains after April Fool's joke about job cuts at passport office Foreign affairs department apologises for 'ill-judged' job cuts April Fool's joke
(about 4 hours later)
The Community and Public Sector union has complained after workers at the Australian Passport Office were told their jobs would be axed and positions moved interstate in an April Fool’s Day prank. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) has rebuked the staff member responsible for a tasteless April Fool’s Day stunt in which the prankster posted a fake announcement on job losses.
The message was posted on big screens in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) in Canberra and was left up for five hours on 1 April, Fairfax Media reported. Workers in the Australian Passport Office (APO), which falls under Dfat’s jurisdiction, were told on 1 April their jobs would be axed and positions moved interstate.
The message was posted on big screens in Dfat’s Canberra office and was left up for five hours, Fairfax Media reported.
The fake announcement said the “APO production network is undergoing substantial technological changes leading to huge centralisation opportunities”. There was “excess space” in the Melbourne operations and all “capacity will be moved to Melbourne later this year”. Job advertisements would be posted soon, it said.The fake announcement said the “APO production network is undergoing substantial technological changes leading to huge centralisation opportunities”. There was “excess space” in the Melbourne operations and all “capacity will be moved to Melbourne later this year”. Job advertisements would be posted soon, it said.
The sign reportedly made staff upset and anxious. Management allegedly later told staff, many of whom work part-time or in contract roles, that they should have known it was a joke. The sign made staff upset and anxious. Management allegedly later told staff, many of whom work part-time or in contract roles, that they should have known it was a joke.
The union said it was in poor taste to joke about something employees perceived as a genuine fear. A Dfat spokeswoman said the prank was “ill-judged” and that it “regrettably caused concern to staff”.
“April Fool’s jokes are supposed to be funny,” said the national secretary of the union, Nadine Flood. “There’s nothing funny about fake job cuts when the Abbott government has cut 11,000 [public service] jobs for real in the last year.” “The responsible officer has apologised in person to colleagues and acknowledged the insensitivity of their actions. The department does not condone such conduct and the responsible person has been counselled,” she said.
Dfat is preparing a response to the incident. The Community and Public Sector union said it was in poor taste to joke about something employees perceived as a genuine fear.
“April Fool’s jokes are supposed to be funny,” said the union’s national secretary, Nadine Flood. “There’s nothing funny about fake job cuts when the Abbott government has cut 11,000 [public service] jobs for real in the last year.”
The department was ordered to shed 500 jobs over two years in the last federal budget. That represents nearly 12% of its overall workforce. About 200 have already taken voluntary redundancy.The department was ordered to shed 500 jobs over two years in the last federal budget. That represents nearly 12% of its overall workforce. About 200 have already taken voluntary redundancy.
Job losses also occurred shortly after Dfat and AusAid merged in October 2013.