JCU statement

James Cook University strongly rejects suggestions by the NTEU that senior management has been paid, or will be paid, bonuses to make staff redundant.

JCU is currently consulting staff and unions on change proposals for the Division of Tropical Environments and Societies, the Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, and Financial and Business Services directorate.

The National Tertiary Education Union has questioned whether senior managers are seeking to sack staff to receive a performance bonus.

This suggestion is utterly false and highly offensive.

The false accusation is included in newspaper reports today detailing financial statements from JCU’s 2014 annual report.

JCU’s annual reports are public documents that are tabled in the Queensland Parliament and posted on the University’s website every year. The most recently released report (2014 annual report) provides financial statements for the previous year (2013).

Bonuses paid in 2014 are based on University performance in 2013 and are totally unrelated to the current change proposals.

It is also worth noting that total executive remuneration reported in the 2014 annual report actually fell by nearly $200,000 compared to the 2013 annual report.