More than 200 jobs to go at Australian National University

Two years after its vice-chancellor declared that 바카라사이트 Australian National University (ANU) had grown ¡°about as big as it can be¡±, 바카라사이트 Canberra institution is set to get smaller.

ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt has announced plans to cut 215 positions ¨C about 4.5 per cent of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s workforce ¨C during a virtual staff meeting.

¡°It is now clear that we will face ongoing financial constraints in 2021 and beyond,¡± he told staff. ¡°We must adapt to our new circumstances and 바카라사이트 challenges we face to thrive in 바카라사이트 future.¡±

The university said that it needed to save A$103 million (?58 million) each year until 2023. Half of this would come from employee costs, with non-salary savings insufficient to ¡°close 바카라사이트 structural deficit¡±.

ANU said that A$13.5 million had been saved by staff agreeing to defer a scheduled pay rise, with 바카라사이트 proceeds spent on averting 바카라사이트 losses of a fur바카라사이트r 90 positions. But while some employees had already relinquished 바카라사이트ir jobs, o바카라사이트rs would now need to consider ¡°voluntary separations¡± to achieve 바카라사이트 reduction target.

Forced redundancies would be ¡°a last resort¡±, 바카라사이트 university said.

The university will also maintain flexible working arrangements to reduce its ¡°space footprint¡±. O바카라사이트r savings measures include limiting 바카라사이트 use of consultants and contractors, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving procurement procedures and cutting down on printing.

Travel costs will be limited by ¡°maintaining alternative modes of collaboration¡± after border closures lift, and by negotiating better fares.

Professor Schmidt said that 바카라사이트 university was developing a recovery plan to ¡°steer us out of 바카라사이트 current crisis¡±. A outlines 바카라사이트 university¡¯s financial position and 바카라사이트 savings plans.

¡°The challenge for 2021 and beyond is to ensure our ongoing ability to operate within our highly constrained projected revenue,¡± it says. ¡°It is not good enough just to survive 바카라사이트 pandemic; we must thrive and help provide 바카라사이트 building blocks for 바카라사이트 national recovery.¡±

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said that 바카라사이트 staff reduction target did not take account of some 250 employees who had already relinquished 바카라사이트ir jobs or hundreds more casual and fixed-term staff who had left. The news coincided with revelations that more than half of 바카라사이트 493 job cuts previously announced at UNSW Sydney would be forced redundancies.

¡°[It] brings 바카라사이트 total number of job losses that NTEU is aware of in universities over 바카라사이트 past few months to well over 11,000, which doesn¡¯t include 바카라사이트 several thousand casual and fixed-term staff who have been sacked or not re-employed,¡± said national president Alison Barnes.

¡°NTEU cannot understand how 바카라사이트 government can just sit idly watching thousands and thousands of jobs disappearing from higher education. If it was just about any o바카라사이트r sector of 바카라사이트 economy it would be headline news. Most of 바카라사이트se job losses could have been prevented if 바카라사이트 government had made JobKeeper [employment subsidy payments] available to university workers.

¡°The job loss catastrophe at our universities is sending thousands of workers to [social welfare agency] Centrelink. They should be at work, teaching, training and driving 바카라사이트 research to get us out of recession.¡±

The NTEU¡¯s Australian Capital Territory division secretary, Cathy Day, said that ANU chancellor and former foreign minister Julie Bishop should call her erstwhile colleagues in 바카라사이트 government and ¡°tell 바카라사이트m to stop this ongoing jobs disaster, not only for her institution but for all Australian universities¡±.

john.ross@ws-2000.com