In news that surprised as many as no observers of James Cook U, the campus union has responded to management’s proposed job cuts (CMM, yesterday). The National Tertiary Education Union has lodged a dispute with the Fair Work Commission over, “the lack of detail in management’s proposal about workloads for remaining staff.”

“This proposal is totally unjustified, as work just does not magically disappear, union branch president Jonathan Strauss says.

Management says it must cut costs to address, “increased competition, reduced student numbers, loss of external income sources including reduced Commonwealth funding, and a highly volatile and uncertain public policy environment.”