An Attack On Workplace Rights And Academic Freedom Resisted At Massey

At meetings across the campuses of Massey University this week staff expressed their anger at plans to make major changes in the College of Science and other less extreme ones in other Colleges without any real room for staff input.

The members of Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union have chosen to down tools for two hours on 12 April at stopwork meetings on all three campuses of Massey to discuss the far reaching discussion documents.

TEU organiser Heather Warren says there is real anger at the proposed cuts because there is a feeling that much has been predetermined by a “small group of senior leaders”.

“The proposal will cut courses and change the style of delivery in other cases. We won’t stand by and watch the Massey senior leadership team cut back opportunities for students”.

TEU members have pored over the consultation approach and feel that both technological and financial determinism are present. Warren says “we are concerned that the leadership has forgotten what a university is for. And we are questioning the facts and figures used to justify the deep and drastic change.”

We know that the overall funding model means our tertiary education institutions are struggling, but we need our senior leaders to work with us on getting a better funding model rather than taking such drastic actions, says Warren.

“We know that the best educational quality comes from making sure decisions are made on sound teaching and learning outcomes; and on values which support the public good”.

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