Staff at Melbourne’s Victoria University have voted to return to industrial action next week to protect jobs and keep class sizes low. “Strikes will commence next week and continue for the next three weeks, unless the Victoria University senior management genuinely negotiate for a collective agreement with job security and reasonable workload management,” said Richard Gough, president of the university’s branch of the National Tertiary Education Union.

“Victoria University is at 106 percent enrolment, which, according to the vice-chancellor, adds up to over $A8 million. The university also projects it will receive up to $A10 million more in 2010 and $A20 million in 2011 from the federal government, which shines the light on any financial excuse for the redundancies,” Mr Gough said. “While there has been no serious analysis on the impact of job losses on the institution and its students, the senior management continue to promote the need for forced redundancies,” he said.

Last year, the university announced a decision to sack 270 staff, equivalent to a quarter of their academic staff, and a fifth of their general staff. “Academic staff know that the only way to ensure that teaching and learning standards are maintained is to take industrial action now to ensure class sizes don’t get worse. Class sizes for students at Victoria University will be the worst in Australia if the job cuts go ahead,” Mr Gough continued.

“We are running on empty now. Staff-to-student ratios will go up, students are facing unprecedented course and subject cuts, and less time with lecturers and tutors,” Mr Gough concluded.

A two-day, 48-hour strike will take place next week on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 March, with subsequent rounds of strike action for the following two weeks.