More public funds wasted as Senior Management refuses to apply EBA in MNHS
Members in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences will be aware the Dean sent a letter to academic staff on 10th August. In that email the Dean refers to purported concerns in relation to the financial position of the Faculty. These financial issues have been created by the University requiring very large surpluses by faculties - amongst the highest being a massive $25M from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. In the correspondence the Dean also made veiled references to expectations of research activity - placing unfair and undefined pressure on staff to consider VSPs.
As members are aware, the Union Collective Agreement provides robust provisions for unsatisfactory performance and it is entirely inappropriate for the Dean or other members of the Senior Executive to offer enormous payouts rather than properly performance manage staff. Members are also aware that almost all staff continue to receive at least satisfactory performance ratings which contradicts the Dean’s assertion that there may be staff who need to improve. The Union Collective Agreement provides protection for staff who are targeted for performance management by ensuring that staff are given the opportunity to improve their performance. It is entirely inappropriate to either apply a retrospective assessment of research outputs or to imply that there will be a steady escalation of research activity expectation.
In relation to redundancy, NTEU is very concerned that any staff member who indicates an interest in a VSP may be nominating their position for redundancy. NTEU believes the University should follow proper process which means any position proposed to be made redundant must be the subject of consultation. It is possible such consultation may focus on positions where interest has been expressed and the outcome of consultation may not be the ‘offer of a VSP’ but rather the declaration a position is redundant. In these circumstances the staff member will not control either the separation date or the action of redundancy of their position.
Over the coming weeks NTEU will be conducting member meetings to discuss these actions by senior management and to explore how we can protect jobs and the quality of education. Using vast sums of public funding in lieu of true leadership and proper management is neither sustainable nor ethically appropriate. To avoid doubt, NTEU campaigns to ensure workloads are safe and sustainable. NTEU will not assist members seeking maximum separation packages. To the contrary, NTEU will campaign to ensure the public funds to which Monash is entrusted are used to develop new knowledge and improve the quality of education.
Any member subjected to pressure in relation to these activities, such as discreet meetings to encourage the expression of interest in VSPs, should contact NTEU as soon as possible.
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Branch Contacts
Branch Office
Room 1043 Bdg 19 Wollongong Campus
University of Wollongong
Phone: 02 4221 3701
Fax: 02 4221 4331
uow@nteu.org.au
http://www.nteu.org.au/uow
Penelope McFarlane
Branch President
penney@uow.edu.au
Anne Maguire
Branch Organiser
amaguire@nteu.org.au
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