Kerry Vernon, Newcastle

On May 30, 900 Newcastle University staff attended a meeting to hear details of the university’s plans for job cuts. They were told that 19% of the staff would lose their jobs almost immediately.

Deputy vice-chancellor (services) Dr Susan Gould told the staff meeting at the Griffith Duncan Theatre that the university plans to borrow commercially because its cash reserves have run down by $50 million over the past few years.

The university is aiming to cut $32 million a year in salaries. This is to make up for the loss of regional and other funding for Newcastle University from the federal government over recent years.

The planned staff cuts will mean a wholesale slashing of the university’s programs and courses. Documents given to staff at the meeting show 167.7 academic and 271.3 non-academic positions have been targeted for elimination, including 71 lecturers’ and six professors’ jobs.

The university expects to save $15.5 million on academic positions and $16.3 million on non-academic positions.

The faculties losing the most jobs are health, education and the arts.

Bert Groen, Newcastle University branch president of the National Tertiary Education Union, told May 31 Newcastle Herald on May 31 that the NTEU estimated that positions cuts would be equivalent to 600 full-time jobs.

The university is moving quickly to implement the planned job cuts and students are unsure of what courses will be available in second semester.

The university's academic structure will be changed with the business and law faculty being reduced from five schools to three. Education and arts would go from eight schools to four and science and technology from five schools to four. Health and engineering will retain their schools but have internal restructuring. Pay cuts are also coming for the remaining staff.

From Green Left Weekly, June 8, 2005.
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