The company that owns the home says it has called a staff meeting for next week to listen to employees' concerns and expects any moral issues will be ''turned around promptly'' under a new management arrangement.
Over the past two years, three permanent facility managers have been employed at Rendell on Reed. Three other interim facility managers worked there while recruitment was completed for the permanent positions.
E tu Union organiser Ann Galloway, who represents about 25 workers on site, said she met rest-home staff who were union members last week and had since talked to the company that owned Rendell on Reed, Seniorcare Nominees, about the union's concerns about the culture in which its workers were operating.
She said in the past week, under a temporary manager, workers had had hours cut with little notice or explanation, although they were still expected to perform the same tasks.
Staff were also concerned about the effect of the changes on the home's residents.
''They feel really sorry for the residents because they don't think they're getting the care they deserve, because there's just not the staff numbers.''
Seniorcare Nominees director Vic Inglis, of Dunedin, said in a statement yesterday he had recently taken over as the new manager of Rendell on Reed Lifecare, the company that operated the home.
He was based in Dunedin, but would visit Rendell regularly.
The company was also in the process of employing a local Oamaru ''external manager'' who had significant industry experience to provide on-site support weekly, he said.
''We're very confident that this local support will make a positive difference on all fronts,'' he said
He planned to meet staff to explain the management changes and address their concerns on Wednesday next week.
''I will listen to the staff's concerns about this and gauge how we can manage this better. The staff will be a huge priority going forward under the new management arrangement.''
The company also planned to implement a loyalty scheme for staff by the end of the year, he said.
The provision of high-level care for residents would remain paramount, he said.
In August last year the Otago Daily Times reported on issues raised by unhappy residential care staff at the rest-home.
