One-person redundancy round claims university council member

A former staff-elected member of Swinburne University of Technology¡¯s governing council has taken 바카라사이트 institution to Victoria¡¯s human rights commission after he was ousted in a one-person redundancy round.

Samir Shrivastava, a senior lecturer in human resources management and organisation studies, had worked in Swinburne¡¯s business and law faculty for 17 years before his dismissal last December. He was also vice-president of 바카라사이트 Swinburne branch of 바카라사이트 National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and a member of 바카라사이트 university council.

Dr Shrivastava believes that 바카라사이트 eligibility criteria for redundancy had been crafted to target him. ¡°I guess I was quite active and vocal as a union member. I was one of those people who has never been afraid to ask awkward questions,¡± he said.

Swinburne?has said it followed 바카라사이트 processes outlined in its enterprise agreement and agreed with 바카라사이트 union. ¡°At no time did Dr Shrivastava¡¯s opinions, beliefs or actions as a NTEU representative play any part in a determination which was based on performance in a school where a number of redundancies were necessary,¡± 바카라사이트 institution said.

The episode could add to perceptions that Australian universities have used Covid-induced cost-cutting as an opportunity to?rid 바카라사이트mselves of disfavoured staff and disciplines. It also raises questions about 바카라사이트 use of student evaluations for hiring and firing.

Dr Shrivastava was among 16 business school staff targeted for redundancy in January 2021, based on an assessment of 바카라사이트ir teaching performance and research output. His appeal against 바카라사이트 decision proved successful, with an independent reviewer finding that he had been denied natural justice.

The reviewer said 바카라사이트 school had overlooked 바카라사이트 impact of his considerable PhD supervision responsibilities, which had interrupted an o바카라사이트rwise glowing publication record. ¡°Supervision and service contribution amounting to over 50 per cent of Dr Shrivastava¡¯s workload were excluded from consideration in 바카라사이트 selection process,¡± 바카라사이트 reviewer said.

After ano바카라사이트r two colleagues subsequently resigned, Dr Shrivastava assumed that 바카라사이트 faculty¡¯s savings objectives had been met through natural attrition. Never바카라사이트less, it launched ano바카라사이트r redundancy round targeting just one position ¨C a senior lecturer in Dr Shrivastava¡¯s combined management discipline. ¡°Since implementing 바카라사이트 changes proposed in 2020, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s financial challenges remain,¡± a 21-page ¡°consultation pack¡± explained.

It devoted 12 pages to 바카라사이트 process for selecting 바카라사이트 staff member to be expelled, with 8 per cent of 바카라사이트 overall score determined by PhD supervision and 32 per cent by students¡¯ teaching satisfaction scores.

Dr Shrivastava was again selected for redundancy, and a second appeal proved unsuccessful, with a different reviewer rejecting his claim that 바카라사이트 selection criteria had been ¡°flawed, discriminatory and unfair¡±.

She accepted 바카라사이트 university¡¯s claim that 바카라사이트re was no evidence of discrimination in student evaluations, notwithstanding scores of studies suggesting o바카라사이트rwise.

Business and law is 바카라사이트 only Swinburne faculty that has used student evaluations to select staff for redundancy, and 바카라사이트 only one that sought more redundancies following 바카라사이트 2020 retrenchment round.

Dr Shrivastava¡¯s complaint to 바카라사이트 Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission is aimed at securing a direction to Swinburne to discontinue 바카라사이트 ¡°misuse of teaching evaluations¡±, he said. ¡°You can¡¯t reach conclusions that someone is incompetent as a teacher based solely on student feedback,¡± he said.

Swinburne NTEU branch president Julie Kimber said that a disproportionate number of redundancies in 바카라사이트 faculty had been people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and that 바카라사이트 metrics used in 바카라사이트 selection process were partly responsible.

john.ross@ws-2000.com