Led Zeppelin could’ve written their song Communication Breakdown for all those involved in the Dundee University saga.
As a former rector I’ve been scunnered at the cack-handed way that management and the Scottish Government have handled this situation.
There has been a litany of carelessness and a lack of concern for those working there, and the reputation of the university and the city have both been damaged by gross mismanagement.
The institution is now seeking to assess which members of staff are interested in taking voluntary redundancy.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they fill their quota easily such is the dreadful way folk working there have been treated over their concerns.
They’ve been kept in the dark by a management which has treated them very shabbily.
Many of those at the university are deeply depressed and distressed at the lack of information about their futures and career prospects, as it grapples with the financial crisis which has beset it, and that at one stage threatened its very existence.
With staff across all sectors worried about whether they’ll be able to pay the mortgage or rent in the months ahead, both management and the Scottish government need to get the finger out and tell staff exactly what they plan to do and when.
‘Sickened by the uncertainty’
I know some staff who say that if the terms are right, they’ll leave if they can get voluntary redundancy, so tired and sickened are they by the uncertainty and obfuscation surrounding their jobs.
But even if there are decent packages eventually offered for some folk to leave, the vast bulk of those remaining will want reasonable assurances about the future of the place.
They are currently being kept in the dark as the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) considers the financial request which could amount to a package of £100m.
And that ask comes on top of a £22m loan already supplied in March.
The whole rescue effort is symptomatic of the anaemic way the institution has been mismanaged and also the way Scotland has been governed.
Between those who made such a mess of running the university that it faced a worst-case scenario of complete closure, to a Scottish Government which has a reverse Midas touch, staff at the university are understandably depressed and fearful for the future as they seek some assurances as to what lies in store for them.
As The Courier has reported, seven senior members of staff have departed since the financial crisis came to light.
Those quitting their posts followed in the wake of the initial news that a £30 million black hole in the finances threatened the future of the university; but while they’ve left, their former colleagues remain and are fearful for their own prospects.
‘Bean counting’
Acting principal Shane O’Neill and the University Executive Group haven’t exactly filled staff with confidence as they wait on the unveiling of a grand plan to take the university forward.
There’s a sense of O’Neill sitting in his ivory tower office, bean counting, while staff desperately seek some solace, which hasn’t been forthcoming in the information blackout they have endured.
The Scottish Government too have hidden behind a smokescreen with First Minister John Swinney being ultra cautious, saying: “The University of Dundee is an autonomous institution.”
He did promise that the crisis would continue to have his “most active engagement,” but autonomous institution or not, good governance is about finding ways around obstacles to problems, not trying to find impediments to progress.
The Scottish Government haven’t been nearly proactive enough in assisting the university, which is a critical component in this area’s economic and social wellbeing.
If there are any minor positives in this grim situation it’s that the initial fears of 700 jobs being axed has seemingly been shelved with 300 voluntary redundancies instead now sought at this stage.
But between those who’ve left the building having mismanaged so badly and those still there who are yet to unveil their long-term plans for progress, not to mention the casual attitude of the Scottish Government to the threat to jobs and wellbeing at one of Scotland’s key universities, none of them get pass marks for their efforts.
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