Union concerned at lack of consultation

The Tertiary Education Union is surprised it was not included earlier in discussions surrounding the proposed merger of Telford Rural Polytechnic and Lincoln University.

While the union is not opposed to mergers, Tertiary Education Union national secretary Sharn Riggs said the first the union heard about the proposed merger of Telford and Lincoln was in a press release on Wednesday.

"We were surprised, in so far as we were not included in the discussions at an earlier stage.

"It is important and meaningful for our members to be included in the process."

People need to be included in the process rather than having it presented to them, Ms Riggs said.

There is less anxiety surrounding this proposed merger than with last year's proposed merger between Lincoln and AgResearch, because the Telford and Lincoln establishments are more similar than Lincoln and AgResearch, Ms Riggs said.

"On the face of it, there seems to be some logic."

Ms Riggs said the union would have to meet members at both institutions, and consider issues concerning the proposed merger.

A merger did not mean job losses, and nothing the union had heard suggested possible job losses, Ms Riggs said.

The union would be meet members from Telford and Lincoln for discussions next week.

Ms Riggs could not say exactly how many members the union had at Telford, but there were "not many".

Clutha Mayor Juno Hayes said he had been briefed on the proposed merger in the past few weeks.

"I appreciate the board has put a lot of work into this. It's a good initiative."

Mr Hayes said the proposed merger would strengthen the position of Telford and allow people to move on to Lincoln.

It would "open up more opportunities for people", Mr Hayes said.

Lincoln University vice-chancellor Prof Roger Field said merging with the southern polytechnic would help the university apply for funding for research and innovative teaching.