The NTEU has 20 questions for management

Last year Uni Wollongong and campus unions struck a deal, ratified by an all staff vote, for concessions on conditions, in return for job protections.

The agreement included a management commitment, “to provide regular briefings” to the National Tertiary Education Union and Community and Public Sector Union, “on the university’s financial challenges and responses, subject to confidentiality requirements.” Regular updates were to be provided directly to staff, (CMM July 17 2020).

But, according to the campus branch of the NTEU, information on all sorts of financial issues is absent in the updates.

The union raises 20 questions which it asserts management has not adequately answered or answered at all – issues which presumably it thinks are unanswered in the annual report including;

* components of the university’s reported $42m loss last year

* the availability of cash invested

* funding of the student accommodation project

* increased fees paid to international education agents

* exact head counts of staff by employment category as of November ‘19 and ’20.

For a context to all this, read James Guthrie’s analysis of the UoW 2020 annual report (CMM July 13).