After negotiating with the union on job protection and listening to staff, UWA has refined its COVID-19 savings plan (CMM April 2)

Vice Chancellor Jane den Hollander is careful to tell staff that no deal is done with the National Tertiary Education Union. Even so, she is optimistic enough to put terms to staff.

She proposes;

* postponing the early 2021 enterprise agreement per cent pay rise until July

* cancelling the December 2020 annual leave loading

* staff purchasing 19 days additional leave to be taken over additional shut-downs before semester two, at Christmas and in the semester one class break

“Saving money and protecting jobs” is the sell

If management and the NTEU settle on terms, a final version will go to staff for consideration before a vote.

Professor den Hollander pitches the proposal strong; saying; “some are suggesting that I might be overstating our financial position and that matters are not so dire. I wish it were so. I give you my word that I am confident that the financial situation is extremely precarious and cannot go on unchecked.”

And her word counts for a great deal. Professor den Hollander was hugely regarded as VC of Deakin U and she was barely into retirement from there, when UWA asked her to act as VC, until Amit Chakma arrives in July.

As to how many jobs might be saved– number-crunching suggests the proposal could translate to 235 positions