TEU continues to fight for every job.
March 26, 2024
Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update Vol 28, No 05
Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union has launched a ticker on the home page of its website that will draw attention to the total number of jobs lost in the tertiary sector in 2024. The number is already 101 with the first quarter of the year not yet finished.
Many of the job losses so far this year have occurred in small reviews affecting 5-10 workers, spread across Weltec/Whitireia, EIT, the University of Auckland, and the University of Waikato with the largest group at Massey University. Te Pou Ahurei Takirua – Ahumahi | Assistant National Secretary – Industrial, Irena Brörens says “the TEU is concerned that employers may be using this as a tactic to avoid negative publicity for the total scope of their cuts.”
“If employers think that cutting significant amounts of jobs in small batches will avoid criticism, they are wrong. We will continue to fight for every job in our sector. Every job lost represents courses and services gone forever and we won’t stand idly by while our sector is whittled away.”
Te Pou Ahurei | National Secretary Sandra Grey says “Aotearoa’s tertiary education sector has been underfunded for decades. Government funding has not kept pace with inflation and institutions are not investing enough of their expenditure in staff. We are asking the Government to urgently provide tertiary institutions with the funds to stop impending job cuts, and for Vice Chancellors to prioritise their staff.”
TEU will continue to highlight the total number of job losses in our sector at regular intervals as the year progresses. Members are encouraged to get involved in local campaigns to save jobs at your institution.
Also in this update:
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Huge enrolment increase at Lincoln among positive increases at most Kiwi unis – The Post
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