{"id":32668,"date":"2020-06-11T00:39:11","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T14:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/deakin-staff-want-transparency-during-job-cuts\/"},"modified":"2020-06-11T11:20:49","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T01:20:49","slug":"deakin-staff-want-transparency-during-job-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/deakin-staff-want-transparency-during-job-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Deakin staff want transparency during job cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

STAFF at Deakin University are signing an open letter addressed to vice-chancellor Professor Iain Martin urging transparency and more information as the university prepares to cut hundreds of jobs in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
\nThe drop in international students has seen revenue plummet across the university sector. Professor Martin has previously estimated Deakin\u2019s income this year would be between $80 million-$110 million less than 2019, growing to $250 million-$300 million less by the end of 2021.
\nIn response, the university is proposing to reduce staffing levels by 400 across its five campuses (including Geelong Waterfront<\/a> and Waurn Ponds) – 300 existing staff, as well as another 100 vacancies that will not be filled.
\nThe open letter, which is posted online and had more than 120 names (including students signing in solidarity) added to it by Friday last week, states the \u201ctop-down\u201d nature of Professor Martin\u2019s decision-making process about the job cuts was \u201cboth disturbing and insulting\u201d.
\n\u201cYour unilateral action to dismiss our casual colleagues, in order to force more work onto full-time staff (including clawback of past hours allegedly ‘not worked’, in the months when we were assisting the university in its major transition to online learning) would be stressful at the best of times\u201d.
\nIt states there are \u201cmany ways for institutions to handle financial pressure\u201d, and equivalent savings to the proposed redundancies could be done in other ways, such as a voluntary staff pay cut, leave without pay and voluntary redundancies.
\n\u201cWhy are staff not being given the option to suggest, and vote on, other measures they are prepared to take to support this great university?
\n\u201cMoreover, in forcing such a radical change program on us, while your reported 25 per cent pay cut is welcome, why have you chosen not to lead by example like ANU\u2019s Brian Schmidt, who has announced a 20 per cent pay cut for himself and 10 per cent for his leadership team?\u201d
\nThe open letter makes five demands:<\/p>\n