NTEU Newcastle Branch MEDIA RELEASE 9 June 2021
A delegation of elected officials from the Newcastle Branch of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has today delivered the Community Petition Against Job Cuts to the University of Newcastle's Vice-Chancellor.
The petition demonstrates overwhelming opposition to staff cuts at the University and calls on the Vice-Chancellor to pause the proposed cuts. Instead, the Vice-Chancellor should prioritise staff and students over buildings and surpluses.
The petition is signed by more than 4,500 students, staff, alumni and members of the University's regional and global community. Signatories expressed robust views in comments, such as:
"A university isn't a university without people to teach students" (Student)
"As a research student, we are enormously impacted by this change, yet the decisions were made without any consideration of the students. The majority of us are hanging by a thread with our research projects - not knowing what will happen to our supervisors who are the only experts in Australia." (Student)
"These cuts are short sighted - there is no strategic advantage in compromising university research for short term savings." (Alumni)
"Pull the other one UoN. If you can afford all those big projects, you can afford to pay all your staff." (Alumni)
"As an alternative to ill-considered staff cuts, the petition expresses a vision that values quality higher education: research, teaching and quality education for our region's students, rather than continual surpluses. After all, the University is a not-for-profit institution." said Dan Conway, President of the Newcastle Branch of the NTEU.
"The complete disregard for wishes of staff, students and the community shows we have a Vice-Chancellor who is intent on leaving his mark on the institution, no matter the fall out. It amounts to institutional vandalism.
"The manner in which these changes have progressed and the way in which the VC has responded to any criticism from any level shows we have a leader who is out of touch and not listening to his community." concluded Mr Conway.
