Staff support call to reveal size of payout

The Association of University Staff (AUS) has supported the call by the Minister of State Services, Trevor Mallard, for full details of the ‘golden handshake’ provided to the departing Victoria University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Irving, to be made public.

AUS National President, Neville Blampied, said in Christchurch today that there had been a growing and alarming tendency for the details of senior management salary packages to be kept secret.

“Similarly, staff participation in the preparation of university budgets has been virtually eliminated in the commercially-sensitive and competitive world embraced so whole-heartedly by Vice-Chancellors and Councils.”

“Openness and academic freedom go hand in hand. Universities are publicly-funded institutions with a history of openness and the Association considers it imperative that there be an urgent reassessment of the competitive nature of university education in New Zealand.”

“Any payment made to a Vice-Chancellor at the termination of his employment and prior to the completion of his contract must be clarified and fully justified by the Council. This payment was made at a time when a freeze on buying books for the Library is in place and staff have been forced to take industrial action in support of a salary increase,” said Mr Blampied.

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