Where Curtin U wants cuts to come from

Management asks staff to take a savings hit

The university’s COVID-19 response estimates a $45m savings requirement with $41m to come from staff savings. Management explains why this must be so, ruling out drawing down on reserves and requiring a 2 per cent operating surplus.

While the paper suggests job sharing and leave purchases, the substance of staff savings proposed are foregoing the next enterprise agreement pay-rise of 2 per cent, due in June. (Off-agreement staff will stay at 2020 pay until 2022).

No pay rise under the agreement would save up to 90 jobs but would leave $30m to be found.

Voluntary redundancies are proposed first, “before other initiatives impacting staff numbers are implemented.” As to where redundancies could come from, the paper notes the university, ““teaches and administers a relatively large number of units relative to its student load.”

Management tells CMM it will consult with campus unions on its proposals – which is required by the enterprise agreement, as well as wise. Proposals to defer pay rises that have had National Tertiary Education Union support were carried by staff at all universities where put. At UWA a savings plan proposed jointly by the union and management was passed by staff at a canter, approved by 77 per cent of the poll.

Only at ANU has a management won a vote a vote to freeze a pay-rise which the union opposed.

So, what does the NTEU think about Curtin U’s approach. “We have seen other university vice chancellors and senior management cut their exorbitant salaries by up to 20 per cent. Why isn’t Curtin looking at this and other measures before attacking staff conditions? What are cash reserves for if not for a rainy day? If a global pandemic is not a rainy day what exactly is Curtin management saving it for?” asks campus VP (academic) Scott Fitzgerald.


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