University admin staff rally 'Mad Men' style

Administration staff at the University of Auckland will gather in 1960s outfits on Friday 16 May to tell their vice-chancellor they don't want their jobs to go back in time.

The university plans to downshift hundreds of its administration staff, mostly women, into new lower level jobs.

"It's a move back in time for these women," says TEU organiser Jane Kostanich.

The university's Faculty Administration Review (FAR) plans to cut over 100 jobs and change the job descriptions for a further 250. TEU members at the university say many of these jobs will sit lower on the university's scale, which in the long-term will mean lower pay, less respect, and more work with less responsibility.

Most of the women currently working for the university's administration team needed a degree to get their current job or added qualifications as part of their professional development and many have years of experience.

Administration staff plan to hold a rally outside the vice-chancellor's office in the Registry Building's Alfred Nathan House, at 12:30pm, 16 May.

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