La Trobe University staff have voted for a variation of the La Trobe Collective Agreement.
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The variation is pursuant to the Australian University Job Protection Framework which is designed to save $30 million in 2020 or the equivalent of about 225 jobs.
The framework would mean some staff members would take pay cuts for one year, and redundancies would only happen in cases where a university could explicitly prove there was no work.
The university released a statement saying the vote was open to all staff with 64 per cent of choosing to vote. Of those votes, 66 per cent voted to support the variation.
La Trobe Vice-Chancellor John Dewar said he recognised that this would have been a tough decision for staff to make.
"I am grateful that the variation has been supported by the majority of the staff who voted, who have now collectively moved to protect the financial equivalent of around 225 jobs by taking a pay cut," Professor Dewar said.
The variation was developed by the university and the National Tertiary Education Union.
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"It's good the vote is now completed, it has been a lengthy period to get to this point," Ms Mansel Lees said. "It means the framework can be instigated.
"It's a tough decision. I think 64 per cent (of staff voting) is pretty good. Some (staff) did not vote on a conscience basis while others were on leave."
Ms Mansel Lees said a range of things would need to happen following the vote including ensuring a managable workload for staff who remained with the university.
"The first is to look at the COVID hardship committee and the composition of that," she said. "That (committee) will look at people who believe they have experienced hardship as result of this change.
"We are looking at the people left and how they will affected. The people who accepted voluntary departure finish on July 3 and the second semester starts on July 20. There is work to do ensuring (remaining) staff are not overloaded with work."
Mr Dewar said minimising the impact of any additional involuntary redundancies would be his highest priority over the coming months.
"We will now focus on the process of resetting the strategy for the university, given the changed international, national and local environments," he said "It is critical that we differentiate La Trobe in the sector by playing to our strengths.
"As we redefine our strategy, we will continue to be guided by our primary mission - to deliver education that puts students first and research that has impact and makes a difference in the world."