University of Wollongong warns of potential job cuts following $90 mill COVID-19 shortfall
The University of Wollongong vice-chancellor has warned pay cuts are required and more than 150 jobs will be lost, as management battles to recover from a projected $90 million budget shortfall.
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The University of Wollongong could cut up to 200 jobs as part of its COVID-19 financial recovery plan, as staff rally to protect their employment at the institution.
Staff who have already had contracts terminated, or are worried about their jobs being axed protested outside the uni on Thursday morning, urging university management to stop further cuts.
UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings hosted a live webcast with staff just hours later, presenting three options the university is considering to implement in an effort to recover from a projected $90 million budget shortfall.
“With employment costs accounting for 55 per cent of our operations, there is no scenario in which UOW can return to financial sustainability without impacting on staffing levels,” Professor Wellings said.
Two of the three options proposed to staff involve varying enterprise agreements by reducing pay on a sliding scale according to salary levels of between 5 per cent and 10 per cent for 18 months, or between 7.5 per cent and 15 per cent for 12 months. Staff may then opt to reduce their hours proportionate to their pay cut.
The third option retains pay and conditions provided under UOW’s existing enterprise agreements.
Despite the earlier pleas from staff not to cut any more jobs, Professor Wellings said the first two options would result in job losses of between 150 and 200 full time equivalent positions, while the third could see more than double that amount.
While she’s been busier than ever in 2020, Dr Carol Priestly, who works in the Learning, Teaching and Curriculum faculty, learnt last week that her contract would be terminated later this month.
Dr Priestly has worked on contract with the university for the past five years at the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands campuses, assisting students with their learning and development.
She fears students could bear the brunt of the job losses, if more roles like hers are lost to cost-saving measures.
“I play a vital, core function role in the university for the students,” she said.
“Perhaps different to some other industries impacted by the COVID-19 crisis the work I do still exists, it hasn’t gone away.
“There are six or seven casuals who could learn today or in the next few weeks that their jobs are gone as well … That would have a massive impact on the students we help,” she said.
National Tertiary Education Union branch president associate professor Georgine Clarsen said job losses like Dr Priestly’s would undermine the quality of both teaching and learning at the university.
“People like Carole need to have their jobs,” she said. “Our university relies on their work and they need to know there are careers in our sector.”
Professor Clarsen said the union was unaware of where jobs would be cut from or when at this stage.
“We fear very much that particularly casuals will be told at very short notice they won’t be asked to do the work they normally do, and people on fixed term contracts coming to an end, we fear they wont be renewed,” she said.
In his webcast, Professor Welling said Staff will have the opportunity consider the proposals and ask questions of their manager before indicating their preferred option in an anonymous survey conducted by independent survey.