‘We must make some difficult decisions’

CQUniversity unsure of how many jobs could be lost at the Gladstone campus.

CQUni Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Klomp said he had no option but to proceed with a program of forced redundancies over the coming weeks.

CQUNIVERSITY’S corporate communications manager is unsure of how many jobs could be lost at the Gladstone campus as a result of COVID-19’s effect on the higher education sector.

“As we are still continuing to review voluntary separation applications we are not able to provide an exact figure on the number of possible forced separations that will need to be made, including how many of these would be in Gladstone,” Jocelyn Sticklen said.

Details of staff cutbacks were revealed after The Courier-Mail obtained an email from CQUniversity’s vice-chancellor Nick Klomp this week.

“Job losses will cut deeply in our regional Queensland areas,” Mr Klomp said.

“As things currently stand, I have no option but to proceed with a program of forced redundancies over the coming weeks.”

Ms Sticklen said CQUniversity was trying to put its best foot forward and had already implemented a range of cost-saving measures.
“This is to ensure CQUniversity’s ongoing success and sustainability in what will be a changed education landscape post-COVID-19,” she said.

“These measures have included executive pay cuts for the 2020-21 financial year and a freeze on senior manager pay increases.”

Ms Sticklen said the higher education sector would feel the financial effect of the COVID-19 pandemic for many years to come.

“We will need to find future cost savings and we are making difficult decisions now to ensure our ongoing success and sustainability and to thrive in a sector that has been hit hard by this crisis,” she said.

“CQUniversity offered staff the chance to apply for voluntary separation packages and we have had 200 staff submit an expression of interest in one of these packages.”

Ms Sticklen said many staff from across the footprint had been with CQUniversity for many years.

“Unfortunately, in order to not just survive this immediate impact but thrive in the years ahead, we must make some difficult decisions,” she said.

“This is ultimately about the successful and sustainable future of the university.

“We value all our staff and appreciate their important contributions to our students and our communities.”

Ms Sticklen said CQUniversity was still a great choice for all prospective students.

“We don’t anticipate any proposed changes will have any significant impact on course and service delivery for our students,” she said.

“We want to emerge from this crisis as a stronger, more agile and more sustainable institution, which is in the best interests of our staff, our students and our communities.”