PROTEST ACTION OVER JOB CUTS AT UNSW
August 28, 2006
A lunchtime protest will take place from 12-1pm on the University of NSW Kensington campus on Wednesday, August 30, against the program of job cuts announced on August 22 by University Management. The resolution to hold protest action came unanimously out of a mass meeting of staff called by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) on Friday, August 25.
UNSW, under the leadership of recently appointed Vice Chancellor, Professor Fred Hilmer, will shed 120 cleaning and security jobs, after announcing that these services will now be outsourced. In addition, up to 500 administrative and support jobs will be shed across the University.
UNSW NTEU Branch President, Susan Price said today, "This protest action on Wednesday will be the first opportunity for staff to respond publicly to this short-sighted, jobs-shedding program by the University."
Having met with Management representatives on Friday, the NTEU is concerned that the program of job cuts will lead to long-term damage to the institution, and undermine the core research and teaching activities.
"Management has so far not given any commitment that the number of jobs overall will not decline as a result. We understand that their intention is to redirect spending away from administrative and support staff, into an advertising and marketing strategy, undergraduate first year scholarships and research infrastructure projects, with only a portion of these cost savings spent on employing additional staff in research areas," Price said.
The University has recently released a discussion paper to staff, proposing a major restructure of its campus libraries, which will see the disappearance of reference desks and a reduction in the number of professional and specialist Librarians on campus.
It now appears, from statements made by Management representatives to the NTEU last Friday, that they are redirecting $9 million out of staff expenditure to fund student services put at risk by the Federal government's VSU laws.
"The University operates on a surplus budget each year. The NTEU does not accept that there is a need to 'rob Peter to pay Paul', by sacrificing jobs overall to fund these activities. There is a danger that the University may well find itself cut so close to the bone that academic and research staff are left to pick up even more administrative duties than they do now, and that an unbearable load will burden those general staff who remain within units which have suffered job losses," said Price.
Chris Game, NSW NTEU State Secretary said today, "The University has not engaged in the kind of strategic planning, expected for an institution of its size and reputation, before announcing these job cuts. This is a very short-sighted approach by the new Management team under Professor Hilmer. NTEU understands that the reshaping of the University will only occur after examination of the expressions of interest in voluntary redundancies has occurred. This approach raises serious questions about this new Management team's approach to institutional governance at UNSW."
Details of the protest:
Wednesday 30 August, 12 noon
-1:00pm
Library Lawn (outside the Chancellory
Building) (Closest entry through High St, Gates 8 & 9)
For further information or comment, contact:
Susan Price
President, NTEU UNSW Branch
(02) 9385 2479
Chris Game
State Secretary, NTEU NSW
(02) 9212 5433