CQUni plan to farm out printing

26 June 2009

THE outsourcing of CQUniversity's printing services is set to cost 20 Rockhampton jobs, union official Donna Webster said yesterday.

Ms Webster, the local representative for the Australian Services Union, went on the attack yesterday afternoon after the university had earlier put out a media release saying it would outsource printing operations by the end of next month in a measure that would save $1 million a year. 

In the statement, the university said its preferred position was that printing, custom distribution and inventory control of learning and teaching material would be more effectively, efficiently and economically served by an external supplier or suppliers.

It said the decision to outsource printing works followed 10 months of “rigorous evaluation and consultation with staff and staff representatives”.

The university's corporate communications manager, Mike Donahue, said printing staff would be displaced and offered redundancy packages or found opportunities in other areas of the university.

“CQUniversity is expected to shortly enter into discussions with potential supplier(s) of service to develop a formal agreement,” a spokesman said.

“This has been an open and transparent process.

“The university acknowledges the general economic environment in which this decision is being considered and appropriate steps will be taken to ensure that staff are cared for during this period of transition.

“At the same, however, the university has an obligation to find savings from cost reduction initiatives that better tailor our education and support services to meet the changing needs of our students,” the spokesman said.

The university, which has about 950 full-time-equivalent employees and 18,000 students, currently spends about $3 million a year on the operations including staff wages.

Ms Webster said the printing staff were told they had until 2pm today to submit reasons why their jobs should be maintained, but said the release appeared to contradict that.

She said it was obvious to her that the university had made up its mind to slash the printing jobs.

Ms Webster said it would be hard for sacked staff to find future employment.

Ms Webster said she believed the university would outsource the printing work to a company outside Rockhampton.

Mr Donahue would not confirm where the work would be outsourced to.

Article by Kieran Campbell

Sourced from: The Morning Bulletin - http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/