Redundancies for some

mean more work for others.
I have just been reading the article on redundancy in the Weekend Australian magazine section. It talks about the obvious but it does not mention the wider impact of redundancy and unemployment.
Is anyone really aware that there is a small army of "volunteers" out there? The problem is that we are not really volunteers at all. We are being compelled to do the work of those who are made redundant. If we did not do it then some essential services would grind to a halt. We are not the "Meals on Wheels" type volunteers. The services those sort of volunteers provide are also vital but they are organised and acknowledged. They are covered by insurance and they may even get petrol money.
No, there are other "volunteers". We are those with often very high qualifications and very specific skills. We are the people who are contacted with the preface, "I really hate to ask you but this is an emergency..." It often is an emergency too - in my case a communicaton board for an operation to save someone's life or get an aid worker in to distribute essential food and shelter. How do you say "no" to that sort of request? The answer is you do not - and those asking know it. So do those who make decisions about redundancies. The end result is that some of the best people are being made redundant. Those responsible know that other people will step in because of the essential nature of the work these people did. It is easier to keep the incompetent employee.