Polytech job cuts are a nightmare, says union spokesperson

Job and course cuts across New Zealand’s polytechnic sector are a nightmare, the Tertiary Education Union says. The union estimates that about 300 jobs are under threat at eight of the 16 institutions, with restructuring plans expected shortly from two more, writes John Gerritsen for RNZ. The proposed cuts ranged from performing arts courses in Wellington to agriculture courses in Northland.

Tertiary Education Union National Secretary Sandra Grey said the institutes were doing what the government had told them to do. “The directive from the government was really, really clear. It was cut, cut, cut until you’re financially stable and there’s a huge problem with that because when you cut staff numbers, you cut the number of courses, you cut the viability of the institutions. This is a nightmare,” she said.

Grey said the scale of change was unprecedented. “In any given week I can receive two or three change proposals. That’s individual groups of staff being affected, individual courses that are being cut,” she said. “In the worst case scenario its almost one-in-five staff and that is massive for those communities as well because not only is that cutting courses for learners but that’s taking money out of the local economy.”
Full report on the RNZ site