80plus redundancies voluntarily at university
MORE than 80 people have taken voluntary redundancies at the University of Otago since a review of student support services began, as the union representing tertiary staff says stress and uncertainty are factors in people giving up jobs.
The University of Otago yesterday confirmed 86 people had taken voluntary redundancy, with 134 expressions of interest in taking a voluntary redundancy received by the university.
Since the end of 2015 Otago’s support services sector has been under review, with the university announcing last year 160 equivalent fulltime positions would disappear.
Tertiary Education Union Dunedin organiser Shaun Scott said the health and wellbeing of staff was suffering while they were still waiting to find out whether their jobs were safe.
‘‘The stress and uncertainty are really high. It’s a process that’s been going on for not far off three years, we are at the sharp end of it now,’’ Mr Scott said.
Some of the redundancies were from people who might not have chosen to move on if the review had not taken place.
‘‘For some, they are trying to get some control,’’ he said.
‘‘For some, it’s an opportunity to move on. A lot of those people really would have chosen to stay if they thought they could. I think the frustration is just really related to the lack of a really firm timeline.’’
Mr Scott said he had spoken to university representatives yesterday, and the university said the bulk of affected staff would know whether or not their jobs were safe by the middle of the year.
The change process would really begin to begin in April and May, he said.
As some new positions had already been advertised on the university website, staff were put into a position in which they had to decide whether they wanted to apply, or count on their job being safe.
‘‘[The question is] are those jobs that people see suitable for themselves?’’ Mr Scott said.
He often had phone calls and emails from people concerned about their employment situation, and when another job interested someone else he encouraged them to make an application.
According to the University of Otago’s support services review webpage, 15 people have been appointed to managerial positions across the university.
‘‘The change is happening from the top. They are filling managerial positions and working their way down the hierarchy. People are in that stage of the waiting game,’’ Mr Scott said.
People taking voluntary redundancies gave other staff the chance to fit into available roles, and would hopefully minimise forced redundancies.
The people newly appointed to senior managerial roles were able to have input into the wider review, he said.
A university media spokeswoman said the university was aware some staff were ‘‘anxious’’.
‘‘We are very grateful for their ongoing patience and we are working as diligently and quickly as we can to provide them with certainty,’’ she said.
Mr Scott said apart from staff having concerns about the effect of the review on their own lives, some were worried about changes not working as well as intended.
‘‘There are problems they believe that they’ve identified, and they haven’t been listened to.’’
The spokeswoman said the university had not been made aware of those concerns.