Deakin staff in ‘uproar’ over proposal to cut RDO, flexible work arrangements

Hundreds of Deakin staff are in an uproar over a university proposal to cut rostered days off, minimising their flexible work arrangements.

Deakin’s staff and union have slammed its proposal to cut RDOs for student service workers. Union members pictured at a strike in July. Picture: Alan Barber

Staff and the education union have slammed Deakin over a proposal to cut rostered days off (RDOs), with hundreds of staff impacted.

Deakin’s student services staff were informed via email on October 27 that management was proposing to reduce their flexible work arrangements by cutting their RDOs.

A consultation period will be held until November 5, after which a decision will be made.

A staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, said several people reached out the Deakin branch of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) to express concerns.

The staff member said there was an “uproar” among staff, who felt it was an “underhanded move” by university management given a recent acceptance by staff of their 2023 Enterprise Agreement (EA).

Deakin union members protested at the Waterfront campus in July over the ongoing EA dispute. Picture: Alan Barber

“We so recently accepted the new EA, to then have this happen so quickly, is so disappointing,” the staff member said.

“It feels like a big misrepresentation.

“We’re all quite upset.”

The staff member said between 300-400 people were affected by the proposal.

They said the short consultation turnaround felt like “throwing feedback in the trash”.

NTEU Deakin branch professional staff vice president Andrew Stapleton said the union was made aware of the proposal “very late” on October 27.

He said university management said it was under “no obligation” to consult the union about the proposal – a view the union contested.

“(We) have sought a meeting with management to clarify the matter further,” he said.

“Deakin staff, our members and the NTEU are deeply disappointed by the university’s move to remove RDOs.

“The sense of shock at this proposal was palpable with affected members during a well-attended meeting (on November 1), especially after years of restructures and redundancies during the pandemic years.

“Members reported that management suggested the removal of RDOs was, in part, the result of changes to our Agreement in 2023. This is untrue.”

The staff member said Deakin was consistently voted the best university in Australia for student satisfaction, in large part due to the student services team.

They said student satisfaction would decrease along with staff morale if the change went ahead.

Mr Stapleton said impacted roles were largely “rostered” positions, where RDOs were family-friendly, and a longstanding practice.

He said RDOs allowed staff flexibility in their work that they would otherwise find difficult to access.

“The NTEU sees no operational or financial benefits to the proposal,” Mr Stapleton said.

Deakin University was approached for comment.

Originally published as Deakin staff in ‘uproar’ over proposal to cut RDO, flexible work arrangements