Sydney, (thestates.news) University staff across
Australia agreed to mass pay cuts on Wednesday, in order to save around 12,000
positions from being lost as COVID-19 hammers the industry.
Under the landmark agreement, a number of staff at deeply affected universities
will receive 85 percent of their salary while the vast majority of staff will
receive between 90 and 95 percent of their former salary. People on lower wages
will not be affected.
National Tertiary Education Union President Alison Barnes said that the
decision to cut pay was necessary and only came after first reducing non-staff
costs and management salaries.
“Without this agreement, we faced mass sackings which would have seen
careers derailed and livelihoods destroyed,” she said.
“This framework enshrines the voice and input of staff at both a national
and local level. It preserves more than 12,000 jobs, and secures entitlements
such as superannuation and leave.”
Australia’s world class universities, which heavily rely on income from
overseas students, have been hit hard by changes brought about by COVID-19 —
however almost none of the institutions qualify for the government’s JobKeeper
stimulus program.
“It is now incumbent on the Commonwealth Government to come to the table
with a crisis funding package that recognises (2.9 billion U.S. dollars) have
melted away from Australian universities in the last six weeks,” Barnes
said.uni
AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITY STAFF AGREE TO PAY CUTS TO SAVE 12,000 JOBS
