UCC staff asked to work a week without pay

deRanged

Irish Examiner wrote:

UCC staff asked to work a week without pay

By Eoin English

Thursday, April 30, 2009

THE head of one of the country’s largest colleges has asked his 2,800-plus staff to work a week without pay as part of a package of cost-cutting measures designed to plug a €7 million hole in its finances.

Dr Michael Murphy, president of University College Cork (UCC), said the 18-member University Management Team has already agreed to lead by example and take the hit.

However, he said, because of the cutbacks, the termination of temporary contracts is inevitable and services to students will be affected.

Other proposals include:

* Reducing overtime costs by substitution of time off in lieu.

* Introducing fees for repeat exams.

* Examining the possibility of disposing of some property.

* Deferring increments at the discretion of staff.

* Reimbursing vouched expenses only.

* Renegotiating rents when its new IT building opens on Western Road.

* Reducing the subvention to the Glucksman Gallery and to Cork University Press.

* Increasing car parking charges on the university’s main campus.

* Non-replacement of staff on maternity leave, sick leave or sabbatical.

He said the reductions in staff numbers will result in a deterioration in the quality of teaching and the learning environment, the range and breadth of course options will be reduced and library opening hours may be curtailed. And all this will occur as student numbers rise, as they do in recessionary times, he said.

Dr Murphy was speaking after an open briefing to staff and students, during which he laid bare the stark fiscal challenge facing the university.

When college management drew up the college budget last summer, and working with little detail on central government funding, they set a savings target of €11.5 million to close the gap between projected income and expenditure.

The cost-cutting focused on administration and delivered about €9m in savings by February.

UCC’s annual budget this year is about €300m. It has 19,000 registered students and 2,800 staff, of whom 400 are temporary.

ouch! (link)

Aodan83

A week without pay! Wouldn't be too happy with that myself.

bored clever

I cant believe this they mismanage the place and expect the staff to take the hit. I work in UCD and expect the same rubbish up here soon.These jokers need to walk. Im sure its easy to go without a weeks pay when you earn over €200000 plus expenses and get a free house to live in try it on €35000. Some balls why dont they try living in the real world.

captainspeckle

bored clever wrote: »

I cant believe this they mismanage the place and expect the staff to take the hit. I work in UCD and expect the same rubbish up here soon.These jokers need to walk. Im sure its easy to go without a weeks pay when you earn over €200000 plus expenses and get a free house to live in try it on €35000. Some balls why dont they try living in the real world.

dead right.

1082229

bored clever wrote: »

I cant believe this they mismanage the place and expect the staff to take the hit. I work in UCD and expect the same rubbish up here soon.These jokers need to walk. Im sure its easy to go without a weeks pay when you earn over €200000 plus expenses and get a free house to live in try it on €35000. Some balls why dont they try living in the real world.

UCC senior staff get a lot less then TCD or UCD, up there they get houses drivers etc. Not saying Murphy is a saint but he's only in the job 2 years.

sm.org

The work for one week for free will save 3,000,000 :eek::eek:

So of a budget of 300,000,000 , 156,000,000 is on staff wages at an average wage of 55,714.

Any vacancies?

thebigcheese22

I think this is an absolute disgrace, they spent money that they didn't have and now they're asking staff and students to pay for it, when they had absolutely nothing to do with this incompetence. Reminds me of the Government actually! :mad:

hunnymonster

Can he make the staff give up a week's wages or is it just a request? I can't see too many of the lower earners doing it voluntarily.

mikemac

It's only a request.

It's easy to make such a request when you are the highest paid person in the organization.....
If he was serious he'd take a permanent paycut and not ask lower paid staff to make sacrifices because management cannot or will not manage!

deRanged

hunnymonster wrote: »

Can he make the staff give up a week's wages

No, it's just a suggestion at this stage. Staff would have to agree the change in contract.

The unions will negotiate at national level - no local negotiations - so all universities will accept/reject suggestions of this nature together.