The Green Shed at Mugga Lane. Vinnies will take over the operation there and at Mitchell on 31 May. Photo: The Green Shed.
A Canberra recycling and secondhand goods institution is changing hands, but The Green Shed’s new operator says it will be business as usual for the public and the 80 or so employees if they wish to stay on.
Co-owner Charles Bigg-Wither dropped the bombshell on Facebook today (13 March) by announcing that the ACT Government contract for the Mugga Lane and Mitchell outlets had gone to St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn Ltd after operating the facilities for 13 years.
The post said he had just told his 84 staff they would be out of a job come 30 May.
“As you can imagine, we are all just a little devastated!” he said.
But Vinnies said all staff could reapply for their jobs if they wished, and the organisation would, in fact, be advertising more positions.
The news sent social media into a whirl, prompting an outpouring of support, including hundreds of comments, including a call for a petition.
Vinnies Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Phillip Jones said it was unfortunate that the news had broken before Vinnies could talk to the Green Shed and reassure staff about how the business would operate in the future.
Mr Jones said the business would continue to operate in its current form, but it would evolve, eventually with a new name and added features and activities for community groups and schools around the reuse space.
He said it would be as seamless a transition as possible, and from the public’s point of view, there would be no change.
“So the notion that everyone’s going to lose a job is simply not true,” Mr Jones said.
“They’ll have the opportunity to apply for jobs and join Vinnies, and we want as many people as possible to come and join the Vinnies family.”
The tender did not cover the Green Shed’s city stores, which Mr Bigg-Wither said would close by 30 May.
The ACT Government said in a statement that there would be a transition between 31 May and 30 June when Vinnies would accept donations from the public at the Mitchell and Mugga Lane shopfronts but it may not open for trading to the public until 1 July.
Mr Jones said Vinnies contested the tender because the business aligned with its sustainability values, the proceeds would help fund its services, and it would offer work experience and employment opportunities for those less fortunate in the community.
He said the Green Shed operation would also allow it to accept donations of furniture, which Vinnies could not do at present.
The green shed contributed much to charities. Charlie Bigg-Wither and Sandie Parkes, and Elaine and Tiny Srejic mark $1 million in donations to Canberra charities and organisations. Photo: Supplied.
Mr Bigg-Wither told Region that he and his wife and partner, Sandie Parkes, had no complaints about the tender outcome or gripes with Vinnies.
“The hardest thing is telling the staff,” he said.
He said this was the first tender process for the Mugga Lane site since 2010 and there had never been one for the Mitchell facility.
The Facebook post was just to inform the public, not to take a shot at Vinnies.
Mr Bigg-Wither said he would meet with Vinnies tomorrow to discuss the transition, including the possible sale of stock and equipment, and what the future held for staff, many of whom were vulnerable people.
“It’s happened. It’s a bit sad. People are upset. We obviously didn’t want to lose it. We’re not saying anything sinister is going on,” he said.
But he was surprised that Vinnies won the tender because he didn’t even realise it was in the running.
Mr Bigg-Wither said he would likely return to the public service while his wife would probably retire.
He said the Green Shed had proven that running a reuse business paying above-award wages without subsidies was possible – a “self-standing, self-sustaining business”.
Executive Branch Manager for ACT NoWaste, Dr Margaret Kitchin, acknowledged that workers and the community may be shocked or saddened to hear of the change of provider.
“Change is challenging. However, this was a competitive process for a ‘zero-sum’ contract, meaning the successful tenderer needed to demonstrate the greatest impact and support for the community, rather than being ‘best value for money’ and Vinnies was successful in demonstrating this,” she said.
“This does not diminish the Green Shed’s contributions. Again, we acknowledge their contributions over the past decade, including their charitable initiatives that have supported our community, and we will be working with them closely over the transition period.”
She said Vinnies had set an ambitious target to reduce material sent to landfill by 10 to 30 per cent over the next four years.
It would also have a dedicated education space to deliver workshops, repair activities and structured education.
The new contract commences on 31 May 2024 and has an initial service term of four years, with possible extensions of up to another two years.
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