Eight Sacked As Warilla Pathology Centre Closes

Illawarra Mercury

Thursday July 31, 2008

By JODIE MINUS

WARILLA'S SDS Pathology centre has closed its doors, leaving eight people out of work.

Staff arrived at the office on Tuesday morning to be told that the centre was closing and their jobs were being terminated, "effective immediately".

Most of those fired were long-term employees.

It is the second SDS Pathology centre to be closed in the Illawarra since May, when the Ulladulla collection centre shut its doors. There is now just one remaining SDS in the region in Crown St, Wollongong.

The closures come after SDS's owner Primary Health Care took control of rival Symbion in February.

Since then, Primary Health Care has been shedding surplus assets in a bid to pay off some of its $2.5 billion in debts from the purchase price.

Staff at the Warilla pathology centre said there had been rumours since October the centre would be closing due to dwindling patient numbers.

But sacked SDS staffer Natasha Somerville said management had not provided any reason for the centre's closure, which had left her and her colleagues in shock.

"We have been through the anger, the crying, the delirious laughing," she said.

"We all said our goodbyes, hugged each other, agreed to stay in touch and just left, it was very sombre."

SDS general manager Andre Khouri and Primary Health Care did not return the Mercury's calls.