University job losses on Government’s head

new-zealand-labour-party

Wed Aug 01 2012 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

University job losses on Government’s head

Wednesday, 1 August 2012, 3:52 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Grant
ROBERTSON
Tertiary Education Spokesperson

1 August 2012 MEDIA STATEMENT

University job losses on Government’s head

The Government must take the bulk of the blame for job losses at the University of Canterbury, says Labour’s Tertiary Education spokesperson Grant Robertson.

The University of Canterbury has today announced it will sack 150 staff over the next three years, because of lower student numbers and higher costs in the wake of the earthquakes.

“Why are these decisions being taken before the education recovery plan is finalised in September? There needs to be a broad strategy for education in Canterbury – not piecemeal decisions taken for purely financial reasons.

“The Government should have seen this coming. The University was always going to face financial pressures, but the Government has done little to help.

“Steven Joyce and the Ministry of Education should have got alongside the University last year, and looked for ways to reduce those pressures and save jobs.

“Laying off staff should be a last resort. Christchurch needs world-class tertiary education, and you don’t get that by sacking lecturers and tutors.”

“Steven Joyce has been asleep at the wheel, and it is the students of Canterbury University and the whole city of Christchurch that will suffer as a result,” says Grant Robertson.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.