Massey plan to cut jobs a ‘slap in face’

Massey University staff are shocked and fearful of a proposal to disestablish about 150 jobs in general administration and finance.

Tertiary Education Union organiser Ben Schmidt said the university had this week proposed to cut 155 positions and establish 130 new roles, an overall cut of about 16 full-time equivalents.

He said staff members were told via a video from vice-chancellor Jan Thomas, which was ‘‘insulting’’.

‘‘That is absolutely devastating for our members . . . There was no ability to ask questions, to talk, to disagree. Our members feel completely disrespected by the way this has been announced and the way this has [been] gone about.’’

He said the affected staff wanted ameeting with Thomas to discuss the proposal, and things couldn’t go any further until this happened.

The proposal came in a week when Massey had also sent an email promoting ‘‘staff wellbeing week’’, which Schmidt said was disrespectful.

The positions affected by the proposal are across all of Massey’s schools and its three campuses in Palmerston North, Wellington and Auckland.

In a list of the affected areas seen by

Stuff, the college of science and the college of humanities and social sciences are heavily affected.

Schmidt said the affected staff had specialist knowledge in their work and had built up skills and knowledge.

‘‘These are the people who help keep the university running. They kept it running through the tough times of Covid, and now facing 155 positions to be cut is a slap in the face.’’

Under the proposal’s timeline, a decision would be released on September 12 and the transition period would start immediately.

A university spokesperson said in a statement that change was not easy and there was never a good time to make change.

‘‘Covid-19 has dramatically altered the way workplaces around the world operate and Massey, like all other New Zealand universities, must continue to find ways to operate efficiently, using taxpayer money wisely to ensure a successful and sustainable future in our core areas of teaching, learning and research.’’

The spokesperson said that because of the importance of consultation, it would be speculative and unfair to mention the final number of affected staff.

Massey would work with staff and encouraged them to provide feedback.

The spokesperson did not say if more proposals were coming or respond to questions about how this proposal would affect staff morale.

At Massey’s July council meeting, the finance report for May stated that the university was forecasting a deficit of $43.2 million before the gain on the sale of land, and $15.9m after the sale of land.

The report said the senior leadership team was creating plans to ensure the financial sustainability of the university. The next forecast round in July was expected to improve.

One staff member who contacted Stuff said the proposed restructure would have huge consequences for academic staff and people were very upset.

They said the proposal went against the university’s wellbeing policy, and morale and staff satisfaction with management were low.