Union slams ANU bid to cut more jobs as well as pay

The National Tertiary Education Union has condemned the ANU’s move to cut staff pay and announce more job losses as “staggering”.

After this week asking staff to forgo their 2.5 per cent pay rise in December, the ANU followed up with plans for 87 job losses over three central divisions.

The proposed salary sacrifice and axing of positions are part of a plan to permanently reduce the ANU’s cost base by $250 million by 1 January 2026 to cope with a deficit that has blown out to $200 million.

Facilities and Services will suffer a net loss of 13 positions, Research and Innovation 31 and Academic 43.

These cuts follow the loss of 50 jobs from the College of Health and Medicine earlier in the month.

Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell told staff that consultation on the proposed reorganisation of the three divisions would last two weeks via the Renew ANU website.

“Staff in these portfolios attended meetings today where the change proposals were discussed, and further town hall meetings will occur next week, providing opportunities to ask questions of the University leadership,” she said.

“These will be the final change proposals for 2024. They provide a strong strategic framework for how we intend to move forward with the renewal process.”

NTEU ACT Division Secretary Dr Lachlan Clohesy slammed proposing a new round of redundancies on top of a pay cut.

“It is staggering that a Vice-Chancellor thinks they can convince staff that giving up their pay will save jobs while at the same time announcing further job cuts,” he said.

“It is unconscionable for millionaire Vice-Chancellors to go to staff, cap in hand, to bail them out of financial problems caused by poor governance and financial mismanagement.”

NTEU ANU Branch President Millan Pintos-Lopez said ANU staff were furious that a Vice-Chancellor is promising to save jobs while cutting them.

“Staff were asked to give up pay to save jobs in 2020. It didn’t save jobs then, and it won’t save jobs this time around,” he said.

“We think the Vice-Chancellor should not proceed with a ballot to vary the Enterprise Agreement, which was signed less than a year ago, and should instead listen to ANU staff.

“If it does go to ballot, we’ll campaign strongly for ANU staff to send a resounding message by voting no.”

No teaching positions will be lost in the proposed restructure, with the losses covering administrative, communications, managerial and support roles.

The ANU hopes to reduce its spending on salaries by $100 million.

Professor Bell announced earlier in the month that ANU would shrink its operation, reducing the number of colleges from seven to six.

The changes are due to take place from 1 January 2025.

“This is not a one-off correction like we went through under the ANU Covid Recovery Plan in 2020,” she said then.

“We will be a smaller university but remain distinctive, excellent, and with a strong sense of community. We will do less, but we will do it better.”