[LINK] Canberra Uni's IT going to India

[grove at zeta.org.au]

On Wed, 18 Mar 2009, Jan Whitaker wrote:

> brought to my attention by a friend in America:
>> Are you familiar with
>> this?
>> http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25162611-5013040,00.html
>
>
> Jobs lost as Canberra Uni offshores

This does not bode well at all, for Australian Uni's or the workplace in general.

We've already contacted our local senator and am meeting with some
ALP people on Saturday and so will be bringing this up with them.

Julia Gillard will be a hypocrite on so many levels if she 
permits this kind of treacherous behaviour.

Currently we at <some_uni> are going through our IT restructure. 
This time around my own job is not affected, but I've been 
working as a Union delegate to make sure we get a good deal.
Now there is a good reason to get some stuff in writing 
while we also negotiate our EBA.

As usual, the person scoping the restructure was a beancounter 
subcontracted from Deloitte who has now become a permanent 
position at <some_uni>.   And she's definitely got that 
twinkle in the eye that glimmers when such bottom line dross 
like restructures or outsourcing are discussed.

If anyone has read "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", there are only two words required:

"Dolores Umbridge"


rachel


> Fran Foo | March 10, 2009
>
> THE University of Canberra will transfer IT jobs to India despite
> calls from the National Tertiary Education Union to reverse its decision.
>
> It is understood technology services firm Wipro has been contracted
> to manage the university's IT systems, networks, application
> development, student administration and payroll.
>
> A university spokesman confirmed the transition to the new provider
> would take place in stages over the remainder of the year. The move
> was not connected to the economic downturn and was part of the
> university's reform agenda, he said.
>
> "This is the last component of an administrative reform program that
> began two years ago when the vice-chancellor made it clear the
> university had up to 150 more administrative staff than was normal in
> the sector and more resources needed to be put into education and research."
>
> The changes will improve the university's administrative capability,
> the spokesman said, as well as reducing the likelihood of having to
> lay out large sums for technology upgrades.
>
> The university's NTEU branch president Craig Applegate said attempts
> to dissuade vice-chancellor Stephen Parker had been futile.
>
> "Our members are against sending jobs overseas. We've made our
> position known to the university, but we've hit a brick wall," Mr
> Applegate said.
>
> The union would plan its next move but would not go on strike, he said.
>
> The job cuts ran counter to Kevin Rudd's message to organisations to
> retain jobs, especially in light of the economic crisis, he said.
>
> "Most of our funding comes from the commonwealth so this goes exactly
> against what the Prime Minister is saying," Mr Applegate said.
>
> "We're the University of Canberra and we'd really like to see more
> support from the Canberra community.
>
> "We have yet to see any proper justification, in cost savings, for
> sending these jobs overseas."
>
> The university said the affected workers would bounce back and find
> jobs, and they would be adequately compensated.
>
> "The job market remains quite strong in Canberra for the kinds of
> positions affected and the university has a voluntary severance
> scheme more generous than its enterprise bargain requirements," the
> university spokesman said.
>
> The tenure of Wipro's engagement is unclear.
>
>
>
>
> Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
> jwhit at janwhitaker.com
> blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
> business: http://www.janwhitaker.com
>
> Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or
> sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
> ~Madeline L'Engle, writer
>
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-- 
Rachel Polanskis                 Kingswood, Greater Western Sydney, Australia
grove at zeta.org.au                http://www.zeta.org.au/~grove/grove.html
 		The price of greatness is responsibility.