Cuts leave Massey staff dejected

Morale has taken "a big hit" at Massey University as staff compete for lower-paid roles.

Tertiary Education Union branch president Harvey Jones said staff felt "shell-shocked" after hearing 120 support jobs could be disestablished.

Mr Jones said the 67 new roles on offer are a step down for many employees.

"Some job descriptions are the same as they have, so it's change in job title and drop in pay. They're not happy. Morale has taken a big hit."

Under the plan, 120 support staff would be cut across Manawatu, Wellington and Auckland campuses, including academic directors, IT support and administrators.

Mr Jones said staff meetings had failed to answer questions on how the university would compensate for losing experienced staff.

"Expertise and knowledge gained from many years is walking out the door."

There are also fears academic research will be hit by reduced support, while remaining employees face heavier workloads, he said.

Staff who made it through this round also faced uncertainly as more jobs could be axed during a second review.

Other universities are undergoing similar cost-cutting measures, which Mr Jones said would create a tough job market for those made redundant.

The review comes as universities deal with reduced government funding and growing demand in enrolments. The proposed changes would save $2.4 million annually.

About 200 staff were notified last week that their role could be disestablished or position changed.

About 140 people would be affected at the Manawatu campus, including 80 staff competing for 50 new roles.

Massey spokesman Bryan Gibson said the university was undertaking a consultation process.

"This involves talking to staff both individually and in group meetings and inviting submissions on the proposal," he said.

"Meetings are being held across the three campuses to keep affected staff fully informed."

Fitzherbert Rowe Lawyers senior associate Andrew Bell, who deals with employment issues, said businesses can offer new roles with less pay under certain situations.

For example, if a senior employee's workload was low this could be readvertised as a junior position. However, generally there needs to be sufficient variation between job descriptions before employers can offer less pay.

"If they are the same roles they would really struggle here, but the devil's in the detail," Mr Bell said.

A preliminary decision on the jobs would be made early next month.

- © Fairfax NZ News