TEU will be organising a public campaign to prevent hundreds of job cuts at the University of Canterbury. Last week TEU leaked financial documents that showed the university faced losses of $12 to $18 million dollars and one proposal to cope with this loss is to cut around 350 jobs over the next three years.

Since then TEU national president Sandra Grey has been calling on the government to step in and prevent these cuts happening to one of Canterbury’s biggest employers and most important learning institutions.

“The university is an essential public infrastructure. It has a key role to play in the coming years helping the city rebuild. It cannot do that without government support.”

The university said neither the commission nor the minister has made additional funding available other than retaining the Student Achievement Component for 2012. That means a shortfall of $12-18 million.

“Mr Joyce cannot sit by and let one of New Zealand’s most prestigious learning institutions bleed nearly a fifth of its staff,” said Dr Grey.

“A successful rebuild is going to need jobs and education as well as bricks. We’ll be working with the Canterbury community and many other New Zealanders who want to see Canterbury University given a fair chance to do its bit to help rebuild its city.”

Thanks to Ann (Helen) Devereux at Flickr for the photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/hadevereux/5682638321