THE intervention of State Higher Education and Skills Minister Peter Hall has been credited with reversing a decision by Monash to close its print services operation at its Gippsland campus.
Nine jobs had been under threat following a Monash proposal, revealed late last month, to close its print services amid claims it was losing more than $1 million per annum due to a decline in demand for print work and material.
In response, the National Tertiary Education Union vowed to fight the move by convincing Monash to allow the University of Ballarat to decide on the service’s fate, given it would take over the campus next year under the Federation University of Australia banner.
NTEU members had widely condemned the Monash proposal, saying it “stepped away” from all of the university’s previous undertakings to ensure jobs were not lost in the process of transferring to a new FUA entity.
NTEU industrial organiser Liz Schroeder told The Express yesterday she believed Mr Hall understood “how critical these jobs are to the region” and was also unhappy with a move by Monash which contravened its earlier commitments to the workforce.
“We appreciate Mr Hall’s prompt move (to intervene) as the Monash timetable was very tight, some jobs could have been gone by the end of the month,” Ms Schroeder said.
In a statement, Mr Hall welcomed Monash’s decision to withdraw its proposal, saying its initial announcement had “heightened the anxiety of staff as they prepared for the transition to the new tertiary entity, Federation University Australia”.
“Given the imminence of these impending changes, it’s imperative that certainty is provided to staff members,” the minister said.
“The decision to reverse job losses is a sign of good faith on behalf of Monash University and sends a positive signal to staff that their interests will be considered as foremost in the transition.”
Mr Hall said the university had “considered local expertise, highlighting that the overall oversight of operations will be transferred back to the campus, thereby driving efforts to bring in new business from around the Gippsland area”.
Monash issued a statement saying its decision followed a “series of discussions with staff and management at the Gippsland campus”.
It said, however, the decision did not “remove or detract from the issues that in recent years demand for print work and material has been declining…”.
“Monash University will work with staff to determine how this ongoing loss can be reversed to seek the viability of the facility into the future,” the statement said.
“Together they will try to grow the print operation, including providing it with enhanced marketing support and focusing on attracting external work from across the Gippsland region.
“Monash University will also look to transfer overall oversight of the operation back to the campus, with local Gippsland management having the necessary local expertise to initiate and drive efforts to bring new print business from the local area to the campus,” it said.
