City of Albany facilities shut Mondays as staff take 20 per cent hours cut

Several key City of Albany facilities will be temporarily closed on Mondays, as the City switches to a new operating schedule to accommodate a 20 per cent cut in staff hours. Earlier this month, 94 per cent of City staff voted to alter the City’s enterprise agreement to reduce staff hours for six months and freeze salaries for the next financial year. The changes were proposed to plug an estimated revenue shortfall of more than $7 million brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The shake-up, which is yet to be approved by the Fair Work Commission, is set to affect all permanent staff and council members. City chief executive Andrew Sharpe, pictured, said the service reductions would be closely monitored over the coming months to ensure the City could get back to full capacity as soon as it was viable. “COVID-19 has affected the City’s operations including our public facilities and services,” he said. “As we transition out of COVID-19 restrictions there will be some temporary changes to operating times at our facilities. “These commence from this week and will ensure the community can still access and utilise all our services while supporting us to manage the impact of COVID-19 on the City.” New temporary opening hours came into effect yesterday. All Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre services, except for the staffed gym, will be temporarily closed on Mondays, with the entire facility closed on Sundays. ALAC will open from 6am to 8pm from Tuesday to Friday and 8am to 5pm on Saturdays. The gym will remain open 24 hours to authorised members. The National Anzac Centre, Princess Royal Fortress and Forts Store will be closed on Mondays. The Albany Public Library and Albany Visitor Centre will be closed on Mondays and Sundays. The Vancouver Arts Centre will be open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Fossicker’s Tip Shop will be open on Wednesday and Sunday, with the Bakers Junction Transfer Station open on Saturday. For more details, visit albany.wa.gov.au.