K6 - One rule for them, one rule for the rest of us!

• The Vice Chancellor The Vice Chancellors office has decided to hire a receptionist for the 6th floor ... the Vice Chancellor already has two secretaries and a chauffeur but they still had to hire yet another person ... guess what this new lady spends her day doing? Give up? Reading. There's bugger all else for her to do! Many other departments are struggling with a bare minimum of staff required to provide the basics of service, the VC's office has money to burn.

• The VC has put in for a substantial pay rise on the grounds that since the merger, he now has more responsibility. Every other staff member in the University has been told that an increase in the number of campuses does not warrant a pay rise. The duties are the same, albeit on a wider scale, so no pay rise is justified as your pay level is tied to your duties. Mind you, there is already a precedent for the VC's staff to break this rule. The VC's secretary, whose 'duties' include answering telephones, looking after the VC's timetable and booking meetings ... is rumoured to be being paid at least at HEW 9 level ... according to the Human Resources manual, those duties should score around HEW 4 to 5! So much for salaries being linked to 'duties' and not who you work for.

• All departments have had serious budget cut backs in recent years and now, with the merger between WMIT and VUT, there is a new inequity. Ex-WMIT staff are only receiving 4% superannuation where VUT staff get 17%. Not only that but many ex-WMIT staff that have the same duties and responsibilities as VUT staff are on a lower pay rate. The university doesn't want to raise all the ex-WMIT staff to 17% super because of the enormous cost although it is rumoured they have the money to do it anyway. The odd thing about this new inequity is, whether they rumour about the Uni having the money to do it or not is true, is that the University is currently negotiating for the purchase of at least three more buildings in the CBD. Where is that money coming from?

• Speaking of money to burn, the VC recently bought the house next door to his for an 'undisclosed amount' for housing international visitors. Funny how a lot of those international visitors seem to be from Ireland.

• The EGM (Resources) The EGM (Resources) who has final say over all the outsourcing by the Facilities department should be up for the Jeff Kennett Businessman's award. Allegedly, all of the companies that have won outsourcing contracts seem to be owned by friends of his. Not only this but there was a story that a proposition was made to change the supplier of vehicles for the Uni packaging scheme but, although there were considerable savings to be made, The EGM didn't want to change because, here's the punchline, a friend of his is rumoured to own the company currently providing vehicles.