UTAS cuts non-salary expenditure, adds two weeks “COVID-19 leave” to staff

University of Tasmania Vice-Chancellor Rufus Black says UTAS is “prioritising staff” as it shifts its operations online.

VICE-Chancellor Rufus Black says the University of Tasmania is “prioritising staff”, announcing an additional two weeks of coronavirus leave and non-salary expenditure cuts.

The announcement came as UTAS shifts its operations online.

Prof Black said the move would protect and support the “very talented workforce” at UTAS through the pandemic.

“We need to make sure we’re looking after them for when this comes to an end, as it will,” he said.

He said the added two weeks of leave would ease financial stress for staff needing to quarantine, while all employees were encouraged to exhaust their full annual leave this year to ease financial costs.

Rufus Black. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Non-salary costs comprising some 40 per cent of the UTAS budget will be slashed across travel, entertainment and capital expenditure, with all credit cards suspended unless approved by an Executive Director Operations or Chief Financial Officer.

Prof Black said Southern Campus master planning would pause, while the $300 million Launceston and Burnie campuses and Hedberg developments in Hobart would continue.

He said course restructuring would protect staff further, with employees maintaining operations throughout the crisis.

“We are commissioning our nursing facility in Launceston, (which) will give 46 hospital beds should the state need it somewhere down the track,” he said.

“The gym staff are running zoom-based gym classes to keep people fit and healthy at home.

“We’ve also got our engineers working on face shields, should we get a shorter supply of that.”