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General
CPSU condemns Howard Government Minister
By David Carey
Federal Secretary (SPSF Group) - CPSU Joint National Secretary
The union covering University general and administration staff has condemned comments made today (Monday) by Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop that Universities should replace general staff positions at Universities and employ more academics.
Community and Public Sector Union joint National Secretary David Carey said the statement was proof that the Federal Government did not understand the vital role of general and administration staff in Universities.
"The administration costs of universities are increasing at the expense of teaching and research," Ms Bishop said today on ABC radio.
Mr Carey said "For 10 years this Government has put the greatest Government reporting burden on Universities in their history. Instead of spending money on teaching, universities had to spend it on the Government imposed Micromanagement."
The Government held to ransom vital University funding because of its own Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements ( HEWRR s) if the universities didn't go through the time consuming and costly exercise of changing all their policies and procedures to suit the government's anti union agenda, " Mr Carey said.
"I believe the universities should be employing more lecturers and fewer administrators - they should be changing that balance," Ms Bishop said.
Mr Carey said , "This is code for - cutting more non teaching jobs. The ten year standard solution we've come to expect from this Federal Government"
Mr Carey said the Federal Government expected general staff to bear the brunt of reduced university funding and the Government is responsible for the funding cuts.
"The Federal Government has slashed hundreds of millions from university budgets in the past ten years and is expecting general staff to bear the brunt of that," he said.
Academics know that Universities need more general and administration staff not less.
"Universities would ground to a halt if there was no-one to help students enrol, find accommodation, answer the phones, fix the computers, pay the wages, run the libraries and laboratories, maintain the buildings, provide counselling and run the colleges - just to name a few of the vital jobs our members carry out."
Mr Carey said university staff on each campus will be sending a protest to Ms Bishop condemning the statements.
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