Fears that over 100 jobs from Western Australian
Energy company Synergy would be outsourced to an Indian IT company
were yesterday laid to rest.
We have made it clear to our employees, and publicly, [that]
the speculation far exceeded anything we have been considering.
Today's announcement puts that speculation to rest
Synergy MD Jim Mitchell
Western Australian Shadow Minister for Energy Kate Doust had
said earlier this week that Synergy was negotiating with an Indian
company with the goal of sending IT jobs abroad.
Energy Minister Peter Collier said he would take the concerns to
the company and yesterday announced a plan developed with Synergy to
make sure no Western Australian jobs would be sent overseas as part
of Synergy's business transformation program to introduce new SAP-based
customer care and billing systems.
Synergy admitted that there had been speculation recently about
job losses because of discussions with partners to carry out the
business transformation.
"We have made it clear to our employees, and publicly, [that]
the speculation far exceeded anything we have been considering.
Today's announcement puts that speculation to rest," managing
director Jim Mitchell said in a statement.
Synergy put forward a five-point plan for the transformation,
including hiring contact centre capability from Stellar in
Joondalup while its employees were being trained on the new
customer care and billing system. It would also hire Alphawest to
support its datacentre and IT services for five years.
It said that it has also commissioned an unnamed global partner
to provide back office processing support while Synergy employees
were trained. This partner would establish a presence in Western
Australia to carry out the work.
Twenty full-time positions would be dropped from the company,
but not from the state, the company said.
"Synergy is to be applauded for working to deliver a solution
which supports local jobs and local industry. At the same time, it
will deliver efficiencies and savings to its business and improve
customer service," Collier said in a statement.
Doust said that she was pleased that no permanent jobs would be
relocated overseas, but she still had reservations. "Although the jobs won't be lost to Western Australia they have
been lost to Synergy," she said. Another concern she had was that although permanent jobs might not be
migrating, contract work could be.
"Energy Minister Peter Collier needs to provide details on how
the government will ensure the jobs will indeed remain in Western
Australia, whether today's announcement applies to fixed term
contract workers at Synergy and for how long the permanent jobs are
guaranteed to remain in Western Australia," she said. "What will
happen to these positions when their contracts expire?"
She also had misgivings on the choice of a global partner to
provide IT services. "Western Australia has a thriving IT
industry. What has the government done to source expertise from
locally owned IT companies?"
