Transport staff's reason to smile
MAIN Roads department staff in Gympie are starting to smile again.
The promises made by new Police Minister David Gibson, ahead of the LNP whitewash at the state election, has given them hope and they have been bolstered by the appointment of new director general Michael Caltabiano.
"Generally speaking most people are happy with the new director general, he's an ex-main roads engineer," Gympie's Queensland Public Sector Union delegate Paul Church said.
"Morale has been boosted, there's people walking around the office with smiles."
Mr Church said no new positions had been advertised for the Main Roads Sunshine Coast office and previous positions were put on hold.
"We don't know how many jobs were going that way, but we know no more are going," he said.
Just days before the election Member for Gympie David Gibson spoke to handful of Main Roads union delegates outside the Gympie office.
He promised to write to the then-director general to hold positions being advertised at Maroochydore.
That letter resulted in a halt on the jobs while the government was in caretaker mode.
Now Main Roads staff hope he keeps up his plan to bring jobs back to Gympie.
"We couldn't understand how a Labor government could do it to the workers.
"We're hopeful. A promise is a promise. It was the best he could do."
Mr Church said even employees that had been a part of the union for a long time had told him they thought the best thing was a change in government. "If the LNP honour their promises then they (the staff) will be rapt."
GYMPIE QPSU delegate Paul Church said he has seen a big turnaround for staff at Gympie's Main Roads office since the LNP won power.
It's a big difference from what Mr Church was saying just days ahead of the election.
Back then he told The Gympie Times morale was so low that one engineer swamped with work sat at his desk crying.
"There's still all the empty seats, but hopefully there will be bums on seats soon.
"The incoming director general is an ex-main roads engineer, a lot are happy with that. Maybe the focus will get back to building roads. There's been too many spin doctors and not enough people putting the black stuff on the road. The other government lost their way a bit."
Mr Church said some Gympie staff had even worked with new director general in the past.
Since the Bligh Government decided to change the boundaries for the Main Roads departments, morale had been low in the office.
The majority of staff have either moved on or taken up positions advertised at the coast, those left felt they had no future in the department and were made to cover the lost positions.
But the workers held on to the then-government's promise that no one would be forced to move to the coast and there would be no forced redundancies.
"We still don't know why they wanted to move the office. It doesn't benefit anyone, especially with costs."
Mr Church said he was now feeling good "provided" the LNP could "honour their promises".
"At the end of the day David Gibson's interests are for Gympie."
