The TEU is holding a paid two-hour stopwork meeting on Tuesday, following last month’s announcement the university is looking to save money due to a $60 million budget shortfall, with options including asset sales, reduced course offerings and potentially "several hundred" job losses.
Otago Tertiary Education Union organiser Philip Edwards said the meeting at the clocktower was timed for the same day as a meeting of the university council, in which it intends to discuss its seven-year plan and steps to address the current situation.
"We’ll be wanting to add commentary at that point," he said.
"As it stands at the moment, it’s looking like the attendance is pretty good."
Participants would gather on the union lawn at noon, then walk to the clocktower building to hold the meeting on its steps.
Branch officials and the national TEU president Julie Douglas would speak to staff about the proposed cuts, and the budget issues the university was experiencing.
The TEU has resolved to take a nationally united approach on the issue of staff cuts, concerned other universities may be set to cut staff.
Enrolments at the University of Otago this year were 4.9% lower than budgeted for, and it is one of five universities to have experienced a drop in enrollments.
Inflation outstripping government funding has also been cited as a cause for the decline. Staff were worried and confused about the situation, and for some the issue was "extremely important".
Future steps might be put to vote during the meeting, but he did not want to preempt this, Mr Edwards said.
Voluntary redundancies opened last Monday and close on June 2.
The university said it would not comment on how many people had applied until the process had ended.
It was anticipated a further round of redundancies would then follow over the next 18 months.
Acting vice-chancellor Helen Nicholson said the university acknowledged the current environment was creating a difficult time for staff.
She did not say whether any decisions would be made during the council meeting, scheduled for a 1.30pm start, instead saying it was not possible to presuppose outcomes.
"Staff will be kept updated on decisions and direction related to the strategic plan," she said.
