Adelaide University staff vote for pay cut to avoid more job losses
Staff at Adelaide University have put their mates ahead of their bank balances – voting in favour of taking a hit to their pay and leave to save jobs.
Tertiary
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Staff at Adelaide University have voted in favour of a pay cut to save the jobs of about 200 colleagues.
Just under 60 per cent of staff agreed to the 3.5 per cent cut until July next year, deferment of a 1.5 per cent increase and loss of some leave conditions.
“I know for many of you this decision has been a difficult one,” acting vice-chancellor Mike Brooks said in an email to staff on Tuesday night.
The deal, which was backed by 71 per cent of National Tertiary Education Union members in a preliminary ballot, would now go to the Fair Work Commission for ratification in about two weeks’ time.
Prof Brooks has said the university faces a $250 million shortfall over two years compared to its budget forecasts.
About 200 jobs would still go through attrition, voluntary redundancies and early retirements but under the pact there would be no forced redundancies and 200 job cuts which would have had to be cut would be saved.
Permanent, fixed-term and casual staff will be covered by the jobs’ framework.
The university has 3959 full-time equivalent staff.
The plan for “pay cut for jobs” agreements was first raised as an Australia-wide plan following meetings between a group of vice-chancellors and the union’s national leadership.
However, most universities, including Flinders and UniSA, decided to meet their savings tasks without a pact.
Adelaide, which has lost the most revenue because of pandemic travel restrictions on international students, was among a few universities to pursue a deal including Monash, Western Australia, La Trobe and Tasmania.
Adelaide’s 1.5 per cent pay increase will be deferred for four months.
Staff will be required to take 15 days’ unpaid leave and leave loading will not apply in some cases.