The job cuts come as the University seeks to further increase student
enrolments, and the necessity of the cuts has been argued by university
management on the basis of an unexpected $50 million drop in profit. Management
had forecast higher fee income than has been the case, and is now seeking to
reduce academic and general staff numbers to recover the budget. In the same period the
University awarded Dr Spence $220,000 in bonuses.
Despite posting a $100 million profit, the University asserts that the
$20 million resulting from the staff cuts is necessary to fund $250 million of
construction and infrastructure development this year, including the much
disputed Abercrombie Precinct project. That project, encompassing 1.9 hectares
of land adjacent to Darlington Public School, has been fiercely criticised by
residents and the school community, particularly as it includes creation of a
major vehicle entry point across a footpath used by the majority of pupils in
order to access the school.
In July last year the Vice-Chancellor published a statement assuring
the community that these concerns had been heard and the vehicle entry point
would be relocated, however the project has since been further revised and the
previous vehicle accssh reinstated.
STOP PRESS: Following a hearing by Fair Work Australia on March 16 and
22, the University of Sydney has agreed to postpone its planned job cuts while
an additional round of consultation is conducted with staff, including those
targeted for redundancy and colleagues whose workloads will be affected by
those redundancies. The University expects to inform relevant staff of final
decisions by May 7.
Source: The South Sydney Herald April 2012 – www.southsydneyherald.com.au