Let's not lose the forest for the trees. We should be supportive of Keen whatever the source of the news.
On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 5:09 AM, Robert Naiman <[email protected] > wrote: > > Isn't this an example of sectarianism? > > [...] > "The trade unions covering Australian universities, the Community and > Public Sector Union (CPSU) and the National Tertiary Education Union > (NTEU), have enforced the Labor government’s pro-business assault since > it took office in 2007." > [...] > "While the NTEU claims to oppose the UWS cuts, and Keen’s victimisation" > [...] > "Defeating the cuts at UWS, and other universities, will require the > development of an independent and unified movement, ***in direct opposition > to the CPSU and NTEU***, of staff and students." > [...] > > If you were an average member of one of these trade unions, how would you > be likely to see a "socialist" call for ***direct opposition*** to your > trade union? Isn't this an example of Trotskyist sectarianism? > > > On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 7:49 AM, Louis Proyect <[email protected]> wrote: > >> http://wsws.org/en/articles/2013/01/29/keen-j29.html >> University of Western Sydney victimises Professor Steve Keen >> By Mark Church >> 29 January 2013 >> >> The University of Western Sydney has laid “serious misconduct” charges >> against economics professor Steve Keen, a well-known academic, who is >> regularly interviewed on radio and television, as a means of >> intimidating staff and student opponents of its sweeping course closures >> and retrenchments. >> >> Late last year, after classes had ended for the term, and just as >> students were preparing for exams, UWS management began to reveal, in >> piecemeal fashion, closures of courses, as well as more than 50 academic >> redundancies. The economics degree is being scrapped, together with >> courses in Arabic, Italian and Spanish languages, writing, performance >> and animation. >> >> Through cuts to departmental budgets, UWS is also eliminating academic >> jobs via retirements, resignations and unfilled vacancies. In law, for >> example, 12 positions will be empty, out of about 40. Many casual >> lecturers will lose their jobs or have their hours slashed, and the >> teaching workloads of those who remain are being increased substantially. >> >> This year, students will face larger classes, less face-to-face learning >> and seriously reduced course options. The cuts come on top of a decision >> to close the Student Learning Unit, which assists the university’s many >> students from working class, low-income and non-English speaking >> backgrounds. >> >> Professor Keen, in an attempt to alert his students to the cuts, posted >> a notice on the Behavioural Finance web site, informing them that he >> would give them extra time to submit assignments, and would not fail any >> of them in their exams, since UWS would not be offering the subject again. >> >> University management immediately instituted disciplinary action against >> the high profile professor, and cut off his capacity to communicate with >> his students. Soon after, its response escalated to laying “serious >> misconduct” charges, which are usually reserved for offences such as >> sexual assault or corruption, and can lead to dismissal. In addition, he >> was ordered to keep the matter confidential and to refrain from >> contacting students. >> >> UWS has pursued the case, despite the fact that Keen last month applied >> for a voluntary redundancy. It has now instituted proceedings in the New >> South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), accusing >> him of “corrupting” academic standards. These are unmistakeable signals >> that UWS management has decided to use Keen’s case to send a threatening >> message to all staff and students regarding any opposition to course >> closures and job cuts. >> >> By choosing to move against an internationally-known academic, the >> university is seeking to establish a precedent that can be used against >> others. Moreover, other universities will be watching closely, with a >> view to carrying out similar measures to silence opposition to the wave >> of closures and redundancies sweeping tertiary education. In the past 18 >> months alone, cuts have been implemented at Sydney, Macquarie, NSW, >> Bond, Victoria and La Trobe universities, as well as the Australian >> National University. >> >> Under Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s “education revolution”, total >> tertiary enrolments have been increased, particularly in >> business-related courses, but real funding per student has dropped, >> placing intense pressure on already chronically-underfunded public >> universities. Institutions have been compelled to undercut each other to >> secure enrolments, especially in courses that attract the highest >> commercial demand, because their funding now depends on the number of >> students they enrol. Any fall-off in enrolments in less lucrative areas, >> such as humanities and languages, is being met by the shut down of >> entire departments. >> >> At UWS, management has even resorted to trying to boost enrolments by >> providing all new students with an Apple iPad, supposedly to encourage >> on-line learning, and offering existing students $50 to re-enrol, >> ostensibly to help defray the cost of books. >> >> While it trumpets the fact that overall tertiary enrolments are >> increasing, the government’s underlying agenda is the restructuring of >> education to satisfy the demands of the corporate elite for specific >> business-oriented courses, lower levels of public financing and more >> compliant graduates. >> >> The trade unions covering Australian universities, the Community and >> Public Sector Union (CPSU) and the National Tertiary Education Union >> (NTEU), have enforced the Labor government’s pro-business assault since >> it took office in 2007. Having backed Labor’s election, claiming it >> would inaugurate a new era for higher education, the unions have >> suppressed the resistance of university employees to the resulting >> casualisation, cost-cutting and undermining of conditions. >> Union-sponsored enterprise agreements have given universities greater >> “flexibility” to erode full-time employment. Today, by the NTEU’s own >> estimate, of the 200,000 employees of public universities, only 68,000 >> have continuing employment, while 45,000 are on fixed-term contracts, >> and 86,000 are “regular casuals”. >> >> While the NTEU claims to oppose the UWS cuts, and Keen’s victimisation, >> it has tried to keep staff and students in the dark and isolate >> departments from each other. At the same time it is appealing to >> management to negotiate, and to utilise the union’s services to achieve >> its required savings. >> >> The union’s slogan has become: “Let us be part of the solution.” Union >> members in individual schools have been urged to become involved in >> “working groups” to propose ways to minimise the damage caused by the >> cuts. In a November 28 branch newsletter, the NTEU listed 11 departments >> and schools where cuts had been announced, and bragged that its “working >> groups” were working to reduce the impact, including by suggesting >> alternative cost-cutting measures. >> >> The newsletter declared: “We all want to be part of a productive, open >> dialogue that genuinely explores how we can achieve change that meets >> the shared objectives of staff, students and the community.” In other >> words, the union has become the open instrument of both the Labor >> government and UWS management for imposing the cuts. >> >> At the same time, the NTEU has sought to divert attention from the >> Gillard government’s role by blaming the cuts on the university’s >> “mismanagement”. The NTEU’s efforts have been aided and abetted by the >> Greens, who have propped up the minority Gillard government since 2010. >> Senator Lee Rhiannon last year moved a Senate motion criticising UWS >> management, while presenting the cuts as a supposedly unintended >> consequence of Labor’s demand-driven funding regime. >> >> The pseudo “left” groups have lined up behind this diversion. In an >> article on the UWS cuts, the Socialist Alliance’s Green Left Weekly >> failed to even mention the Labor government. Instead, it promoted the >> NTEU’s response and claimed that the cuts resulted from a misallocation >> of resources by UWS, not a “funding problem”. >> >> Defeating the cuts at UWS, and other universities, will require the >> development of an independent and unified movement, in direct opposition >> to the CPSU and NTEU, of staff and students. Such a movement must launch >> a political struggle, across all tertiary institutions, and fight for >> support among all those teachers, parents, students and workers who >> oppose the Labor government’s offensive against public education. This >> requires a socialist perspective, aimed at the complete reorganisation >> of economic and social life for the benefit of all, not just the wealthy >> elite, including the provision of free, high-quality education, at every >> level, as a basic social right for young people. >> >> The author also recommends: >> >> Australia: Students and staff protest University of Western Sydney cuts >> [22 November 2012] >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pen-l mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l >> > > > > -- > Robert Naiman > Policy Director > Just Foreign Policy > www.justforeignpolicy.org > [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > > -- Stephen Diamond Associate Professor of Law Santa Clara University School of Law Office: (408) 554-4813 Fax: (408) 868-9173
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