Post-graduate students are petitioning Auckland University of Technology over academic staff cuts — saying it is hugely disruptive and will impact on New Zealand’s research sector.
AUT planned to cut 170 academic positions — those affected had until last Thursday to take voluntary redundancy or face a compulsory layoff.
The petition states the criteria for selecting which staff would go was based on “unjust” and “flawed” performance criteria — something backed by the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) which is taking legal action against AUT on similar grounds.
- LISTEN TO RNZ NINE TO NOON: Academic layoffs at AUT
- The reinstate AUT staff petition
- The TEU legal action against AUT
- Māori and Pacific academics at AUT concerned about impact of job cuts
- AUT’s Pacific Media Centre gutted in blow to journalism on the Pacific Islands
The criteria included “teaching” and “research” on disputed grounds, but ignored “supervision” and “community service”, vital components of academic work.
RNZ’s Susie Ferguson talks to TEU organiser Jill Jones, and two PhD students: Sarah, and Melanie Welfare, who have both signed the petition requesting AUT reinstate staff.
- Pacific Media Watch reports that the journalism programme, which celebrates 50 years of teaching media tomorrow, is among those sectors hit by the AUT layoffs.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
APR editor | Radio Free (2022-12-05T22:49:26+00:00) ‘Huge distress’: Post-grad students feel impact of AUT academic staff cuts. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2022/12/05/huge-distress-post-grad-students-feel-impact-of-aut-academic-staff-cuts/
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