This coming week will you say goodbye to Joan and Laura as they leave their positions of working for the parish. I would like to thank them for the work they have done both in the six months that I’ve been here, and in particular for the work they did for Fr Tom Smith. I know that Fr Tom was particularly thankful for the work they did during the lockdown period. Their efforts helped to keep lines of communication open between himself and the parishioners.
It is not unusual with the arrival of a new priest to find that his way of working is different to his predecessor, hence the consultation with staff over redundancy, and the possibilities of applying for a new position. Our approach was radically different to P&O, in that we had a four week consultation period and then gave five weeks’ notice which is a 25% increase on the legal minimum.
I am delighted to announce that Joanna Adamek has now been appointed as the new person to run the administration of the parish office. She will be working Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 1.00 during school term times. This new arrangement means someone will be in the office every day, as opposed to just three days per week. It also means that our overall wage bill will be reduced by approximately 25%, this is being achieved by the fact that Joanna will only be working during term times, which is always the busiest time in the parish. She has 3 children, one at St Bede’s and the others at St. Bons, so term time working is ideal for her and her family. She will commence employment towards the end of April.
Mgr Bernard
