20 staff jobs affected by Polytech cuts

Cost-cutting at Otago Polytechnic will see about 20 staff losing their jobs or reducing their work hours by the end of the year.

A review of staffing at the Dunedin and Cromwell campuses and a call for voluntary redundancies and early retirements had led to a reduction of 15.1 full-time equivalent (fte) positions affecting about 20 staff, human resources general manager Matt Carter said yesterday.

About half the changes were voluntary and half imposed, he said.

One fte would go from the central administration area, 5.5 from internal computer services and one from the Cromwell campus.

In addition, staff thinking about reducing their hours or retiring were invited to put forward proposals.

Eleven applications had been accepted, resulting in the loss of 7.6 fte positions, Mr Carter said.

Tertiary institutions throughout the country are facing significant core Tertiary Education Commission funding cuts and enrolment caps next year.

Otago Polytechnic is expecting to lose almost $3 million in core funding, although Mr Carter said the exact figure and number of enrolments the polytechnic would be able to accept had not been finalised.

There could be more job losses or reduction work hours to come, he said, but could not say how many positions would be affected or when decisions might be made.

Vacancies would continue to be advertised once a rigorous process had been carried out to ensure an appointment was justified and no existing staff member could do the job, he said.

Otago Polytechnic has about 700 staff and 447 full time equivalent positions now.

Tertiary institutions should be investing in staff rather than shedding them, Mr Carter said.

"Staff are quite upset. All our staff are committed to [what we do] and are frustrated we have been put in a position of having to do this to make cost savings.

But they understand we have been left with no choice."

Asked if there was a danger the polytechnic could lose skilled staff it might need in the future, Mr Carter said there was.

"Losing skills is always a risk, but we are doing what we can to minimise it."

He was pleased about the number of staff reducing their hours, which meant they still had some work and the polytechnic retained their skills.

allison.rudd@odt.co.nz