Management wants to find up to $20m

Vice Chancellor Sandra Harding told staff yesterday the university faces an expected deficit between $30m and $40m this year, which she wants to reduce to $20m.

She pointed to savings already underway – including reduced capex, managing excess leave – and suggested new ones, such as, staff choosing to reduce hours and/or buying additional leave and voluntary early retirement. But the one that got people’s attention was “foregoing” the 2020 salary increase due at end September.

This would require staff to approve a variation to the university’s enterprise agreement. If agreed, the university could undertake not to stand-down staff or go to forced redundancies, for an agreed period.

The university estimates that all staff concessions on conditions plus varying the EA would save $6m and protect 115 jobs.