Staff at the University of T&T (UTT) are anxious about the future of the institution as they prepare for what is believed to be a “final” meeting at the Education Ministry’s headquarters in Port-of-Spain with UTT’s Board of Governors and the representing union, the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) tomorrow.
The UTT Branch published a two-page "Plain Talk" document on Friday titled “Sustainability and Viability of UTT as at April 2018.”
In that document to UTT staffers, it disclosed a response given to the union, a letter dated March 12 from the university’s president Sarim Al-Zubaidy in relation to the union’s proposals that were made on January 31 to cost reduction and the UTT restructuring.
“This proposal was brought to the attention of the Board at its February meeting. After deliberations, however, such proposal was not agreed to. However, the Board noted that the severance proposals of the university submitted on January 11 did include more than 60 per cent of the counter proposals of the union related to management-level staff as presented to the minister on January 31,” the statement read.
The university’s proposed restructuring plan included the retrenchment of 287 workers in the first instance that would realise an estimated cost savings of $41 million. Most of the workers proposed to be retrenched are junior–level workers, in that a particular department that was left with mostly managerial staff and others that were left with no junior–level workers on some campuses to provide a service to the students.
The union proposed the cost reductions that would only affect approximately 60 managerial-level positions and the removal and/or reduction of housing and travelling allowances that would see annual cost savings of more than the $41 million proposed by the university.
The union’s proposal included a recommendation for the reorganising of the hierarchy of the university.
Prior to 2010 the university’s management structure did not include most of the 80 new managerial-level positions that were added within the past few years.
Although the university also proposed the removal of some managerial–level positions they also added new managerial–level positions but no new junior–level positions were added.
On March 26, the central executive of the OWTU along with the local UTT Branch officers met with UTT’s management at the Ministry of Education for a follow-up meeting on the continued discussions of the financial situation at the university which marked one year since the initial meeting was held on April 24 2017 between the Union and UTT on this same matter.
It was revealed that salaries for the union members in the bargaining unit which is approximately 700 workers is $10 million monthly, while salaries for senior management at UTT, which is less than 100 workers, is $9.2 million monthly.
“The ratio is clear to see 287 workers equals 60 managerial positions,” the OWTU said.
The Sunday Guardian understands that the request the union made for the Rationalisation of Campuses has not yet been completed by UTT.
A union representative yesterday claimed that this was the last meeting involving the Ministry of Education. "The Board of Governors of UTT wants to end the process this month, April. What happens after Monday is anyone's guess."
Prof Imbert: The monies have run out
When contacted yesterday for comment, UTT's deputy chairman, Prof Clement Imbert said because the university ran out of money the staff has drawn the conclusion regarding tomorrow's meeting at the ministry.
Imbert added that the financial situation remains the same just as everything else, "we have been scraping here and there and now the monies have run out."
He reiterated that the university's proposed restructuring plan including the retrenchment of 287 workers remains the same.
About UTT:
On November 1, 2017, UTT’s Chairman of the Board of Governors Prof Kenneth Julien announced that UTT will not be able to continue operations beyond January 2018.
He also noted that effective November 10, there was expected to be significant job cuts at the managerial and academic levels.
Julien said this was a result of severe financial constraints over the past year.
On December 12, 2017, UTT’s Al-Zubaidy informed UTT’s student body that there will be no new intake of students at the university in the new academic year 2018/2019 in three of the university's major programmes. Those were identified as Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Science and Management, Bioscience and Agriculture and Health Sciences.
UTT recorded a deficit of $33 million in November 2017 while its reserves currently stand at $2 million.
