[ad_1]
RICKY WILSON/Stuff
AUT has emailed out a list of names of staff it believes surplus to requirements. (File photo)
Auckland University of Technology has suspended planned redundancies following a ruling by the Employment Relations Authority, but has moved again to shed staff, this time sending out a list to employees of people it wants gone.
The Tertiary Education Union’s Jill Jones is dismayed at the move, calling it a “gross invasion of privacy”.
“They’ve basically put out a list of people who they’re saying has not done enough research or teaching,” she said.
“I don’t know where this has come from. People were emailing me late into the night and it’s caused a huge amount of distress.”
READ MORE:
* AUT broke collective agreements and should scrap redundancies, employment court rules
* AUT academics concerned mass redundancies have turned into ‘targeted attacks’
* First Pasifika woman promoted to pro vice-chancellor level at Auckland University
The union took legal action against AUT after it tried to make at least 170 people redundant.
AUT was required, under its agreement with staff, to identify specific roles that were “surplus” before it asked staff to voluntarily leave or chose to end contracts, according to the ERA decision.
JASON DORDAY/ STUFF
University staff across the country have initiated strike action to demand better pay.
But vice-chancellor Damon Salesa put out a statement to media on Thursday night saying AUT had not identified roles because it wanted to protect employee privacy.
“AUT had previously interpreted the collective employment agreement differently and chosen not to identify individuals by name.
“We are sorry that our attempts to respect the privacy of individuals, by not listing them, has resulted in this breach and the additional uncertainty,” Salesa said.
AUT’s view was that the ruling had now required it to put out a list identifying surplus individuals, not just jobs.
Jones said her view was that it was not necessary to put out names of individuals. She would be consulting lawyers, she said.
About 80 employees have had their notice of termination suspended following the ERA’s ruling.
In September, AUT announced an expected 230 redundancies as well as other cost-cutting measures, despite making a $12 million surplus in 2020 and 2021.
By reducing staff numbers, AUT aimed to lower its costs by $21 million or more.
[ad_2]
Source link