United Voice News
ABC creditors vote for adjournment
Childcare members, Christine Flisk and Ashley Nunan attend second ABC creditors meeting in Brisbane
Vote for 45 day adjournment successful. Childcare members, Christine Flisk and Ashley Nunan were in Brisabne to attend the second meeting of ABC creditor's on Friday, 26th of March.
The purpose of the adjournment was to allow time for the transfer to GoodStart of leases for the properties which house the childcare centres. Unfortunately this second meeting has delayed the sale of ABC.
The vote to adjourn for 45 days was successful. This means that over the next 45 days all the landlords, including the two big institutional landlords and the nearly 200 smaller ones, will be asked to sign their lease over from ABC to GoodStart.
While the two big institutional landlords appear to be willing to sign their lease over to GoodStart,it is the small landlords that seem to be flip-flopping on the agreement.
It’s worth remembering that throughout this process these small landlords have always been on the receiving end of good rent and are one of the few stakeholder groups not to have experienced the insecurity and upheaval of the collapse of ABC.
At the time of sale, childcare professionals threw their weight behind GoodStart because GoodStart had committed to provide high quality childcare, decent work conditions and was committed to the long-term future of the childcare sector.
It is important that a handful of small landlords don’t use this 45 day adjournment as an opportunity to undermine the sale of ABC to GoodStart.
Over the next few weeks LHMU childcare members will be organising to send these landlords a simple message: The childcare sector needs to put the bad old days of Eddie Grooves’ ABC behind it and make a fresh start with GoodStart.
Union members and families will be writing to landlords and asking them to complete the sale from ABC to GoodStart by signing over the leases. The childcare sector has had enough of instability and turmoil. It’s time to put childcare workers and the families that use their services first.
To make a difference and ensure a sustainable future for childcare professionals and the sector, join your union, send a letter to the landlord of your centre and encourage parents to do the same. And finally talk to your colleagues.
