USU COVID-19 Update: Workforce Hours to be Reduced to 60%

By Jossie Warnant

The University of Sydney Union (USU) will reduce the working hours of its entire staff to 60 per cent of normal business operations, due to reduced revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will result in the reduction of wages of the USU workforce by 40 per cent. 

Effective next Monday 11 May, these changes will include management wages and the stipends of the Board Directors. 

“The decision to reduce business expenses and staff working hours is a grave matter. This is a time of crisis for the USU and this decision is being made, fundamentally, to save jobs and the Union,” said USU President, Connor Wherrett

The arrangements will remain in place until Friday 26 June 2020, pending further extension. The decision to extend these measures will depend on news from the University regarding when students will return to campus. 

The USU has said they have based “calculations on conservative assumptions”, a major assumption being that there will be no face-to-face teaching learning on campus in Semester 2 2020. 

Recently, federal Education Minister Dan Tehan declared that he wanted to see university students return to campus for Semester 2. 

"The first step has to be our campuses reopened here for domestic students and those international students who are onshore. That's the first priority of the government," Mr Tehan told The Sydney Morning Herald.

The USU is eligible for the JobKeeper subsidy and said that eligible employees will soon start receiving the payment. 

“I know it will have a significant impact on our people. As soon as it is feasible to lift these measures, we will do so. Until then, on behalf of the Board I thank the USU staff for their hard work and patience over the past month and I ask them to stay strong during this difficult time. We are all in this together,” said USU President, Connor Wherrett. 

Read the full press release below.


Further USU COVID-19 Update

SYDNEY, Wednesday 6 May 2020: A further update from the University of Sydney Union (USU) to our members, stakeholders and the entire student community at the University about our ongoing response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 crisis.

During April the USU Board and senior staff have worked through the difficult task of charting the next steps for the USU in 2020. The USU has been consulting with stakeholders, including the University, our business partners and professional advisers.

While the USU is eligible for and will soon start receiving reimbursement for JobKeeper for all eligible employees, we have been working to scale down the organisation’s expenses at a time of radically reduced revenues for the USU. This has involved plans for a reduction in usual business expenses, but also a reduction to staff hours to reduce staff costs.

In this work we have had to base our calculations on conservative assumptions. A major assumption is that there will not be face-to-face teaching and learning on campus in Second Semester 2020. We very much hope that campus life resumes before 2021, but at this stage it is far from certain. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation and will review our approach regularly.

USU Staff
Given the above, the USU has today advised staff that it must reduce the working hours of our entire workforce to 60 per cent of normal business operations, effective next Monday 11 May. This will therefore involve a reduction to the wages of the entire workforce, including the management team and the stipends of the Board Directors, by 40 per cent.

This decision has received the most careful consideration by the USU Board and management. Different possible scenarios have been tried and tested. However, balancing both staff welfare and the USU’s financial sustainability at this time, the reduction in working hours to 60 per cent of usual has been decided. These arrangements will be effective until Friday 26 June 2020, pending further extension and news from the University regarding the return of students to campus.

Today all staff will receive written notice of this reduction of working hours and they will meet with their managers over the coming days to discuss this development.

USU President Connor Wherrett said, “The decision to reduce business expenses and staff working hours is a grave matter. This is a time of crisis for the USU and this decision is being made, fundamentally, to save jobs and the Union.

“I know it will have a significant impact on our people. As soon as it is feasible to lift these measures, we will do so. Until then, on behalf of the Board I thank the USU staff for their hard work and patience over the past month and I ask them to stay strong during this difficult time. We are all in this together.”

USU Retail Tenants – Manning & Wentworth
The COVID-19 crisis remains difficult also for the USU’s diverse retail tenants across both Wentworth and Manning Buildings. The following USU tenants are currently operating: 

MANNING HOUSE
Zambeli’s (6am-2pm)

WENTWORTH BUILDING
Uni Bros (8am-2pm)
Subway (8am-2.30pm)
Chris MacMahon Optometrist (8am-1pm)
CSG Printing (7.30am-5pm)
Douglas Moir Pathology (7.30am-5pm)
Premier Health (7.30am-6pm)
Union Pharmacy (8am-5pm) 

The USU will engage in discussions with tenants about the way forward in the months ahead. In the meantime, social distancing and best practice hygiene are in place.

Campus Operations
All of the USU’s retail outlets have been closed since 6 April, with the exception of:

  • Footbridge Station @ Holme (7am-4pm)

  • USYD Store @ JFR (9am-5pm)

These two outlets remain open for the convenience of the University community. They operate as takeaway only, enforcing social distancing rules and continuing with enhanced hygiene practices, following the advice of federal and state governments and NSW Health.

For details of the current status of all USU operations and activities, please see the Annexure to this release. We will continue to update these arrangements as necessary. Please check our social media and our website for the latest information.

ENDS 

Pulp Editors