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Special Report Special Report

Alongside the increasing concerns from the unions over with USP management’s decision in firing Osborne-Naikatini.
the University’s performance, there have been calls from “USP is a very credible organisation, with well-established
within the Council itself to make the governing body more rules, processes and procedures, as well as seasoned
accountable to the regional governments that contribute managers,” former Vice-Chancellor of Solomon Islands
financially to the running of USP. National University and of Fiji National University, Dr Ganesh
Islands Business has been reliably informed that in Chand told Islands Business.
an unprecedented development, calls were made at its “I believe that their decisions are bound to be well
meeting in May for the Council to report back regularly to considered ones.”
regional governments on key performance areas, to upscale Chand also believes that despite the differences in the
accountability to the Pacific Island states. procedures between USP and FNU for reporting misconduct—
Veteran USP academic, Professor Sudesh Mishra’s association the whistleblowing procedures for the latter having been
with the University has spanned multiple vice chancellors. drafted by Chand while he was FNU VC himself—breaches of
Mishra told Islands Business that USP’s problems can only be policy should not be justified by these differences.
resolved by the Council. Chand adds: “Fiji’s Employment Act is clear on grievance
“I think we tend to bring into positions of power people mechanisms. There is nothing stopping an employee in any
who, one, don’t understand the region, and two, they are not organisation, including USP, to resort to that.
there for the right reasons; that is, to promote excellence in “The ‘Visitor’ provision does not prevent a grievance to be
teaching and research,” Mishra said. “And they are not able filed as per the Employment Act; where there is no ‘Visitor’,
to create a culture where people are working in a harmonious an employee can go to mediation provisions under the Act,”
manner, enjoying the work, loving it even, and getting along. he said.
“I’m a member of the staff union. I’ve been in meetings
where people have expressed their disappointment with Barred from speaking
the state of USP. The kind of divisive politics presently in USP recently launched its Centre for Sustainable Futures,
operation at this university - I think no one is very happy a hub for regional climate change research. Following that
about that. launch, Ahluwalia requested discussions with each USP School
“The fact that in excess of 90% of unionised staff [in the regarding the initiative. Some staff members had hoped to
first vote for strike action by union members in March] are use the face-to-face sessions with the VC to address recent
unhappy with the senior management is an indication that issues directly, but attendees said staff were barred from
there is something deeply wrong at USP. The people who are speaking on anything but the Sustainable Futures project.
supposed to be managing our affairs are not doing a good job “The Q&A session seemed like it was controlled and limited
of it. If you can’t understand the sense of despair felt by the to only the topic of the day when there were much bigger
staff you’re supposed to be managing, if you choose not to issues that staff felt like they needed to ask about and
address that, if you can’t empathise, you shouldn’t be in the address,” said one attendee.
job. “Particularly when the moderator mentioned that any other
“The overwhelming sense of discontent has to be addressed question or issues to be addressed to the VC are to be done
by the USP Council,” Mishra said. “This is not a problem I or individually at another time.”
my peers have created. It has been created by the Council. One grievance, the unions raised in their joint report for the
And it is the responsibility of the Council to find a solution. Council in May, was that a staff survey through which staff are
And very urgently because we are losing staff, especially good able to raise issues about the University’s administration, has
regional staff. The University is founded on a particular vision not been held since 2017. They said since 2021, the Council,
for the Pacific region, which includes training and retaining along with development partners Australia and New Zealand,
our best thinkers and innovators, who will then go on to train have been enquiring about its status.
our students to be the best thinkers and innovators in the “At last year’s May Council, it was brought up again, but no
region. This involves drawing on regional knowledge, practices action has been taken. Management’s excuse is “the huge cost
and resources. That’s the logic of the whole enterprise.” of $60,000” to conduct the survey, the union report said.
When asked if recent issues had caused him to consider Ahluwalia and his management team have consistently
leaving the University, Mishra responded: “I think if you poison refused to respond to queries from Islands Business so far this
a pond, the frog is bound jump out to survive. And this is not year. When we reached out to Ahluwalia’s office once again
just my feeling. I think it’s the general opinion at USP. We for a response to this report, his office responded to a third
have lost valuable people, and everyone I speak to wants out. email from us, with a one-line reply: “Please note that the
And that’s very, very sad, if you think about it. University will not discuss staff contractual matters with third
“If you create an atmosphere that is toxic, something has to parties.”
give. No one wants USP to go under, but we are not in capable
hands and it’s delusional to pretend otherwise.”
There are other regional academics, however, who stand

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