University staff were on Friday issued what the university called final plans outlining the university's organisational restructure. Staff will begin leaving UNE this month.

National Tertiary Education Union branch president Gabriel Donleavy fears the university could enter a "vicious downward spiral".

"I certainly don't think that it's finally at the end of the change process. Depending on how many students get signed up for 2021, we may have more to come," he said.

"I would certainly not be able to rule it out. And nothing that the [Vice Chancellor] has said enables us to rule it out. They're only talking about this calendar year, that's nearly over."

READ MORE:

UNE's professional staff, who oversee the day-to-day administration of the organisation, have borne the brunt of this round of layoffs, he said.

Professor Donleavy fears academic staff - educators and researchers - are next.

"There's going to be a document called Time for Change 2021 or 21 plus, apparently. There is every probability that the organisation of the academic faculties and schools might be dealt with in that one."

Since the announcement of the Time for Change plan in July, the union has complained of a lack of detail provided regarding the plan to cut over 150 positions.

Staff were offered voluntary redundancies in July. About 15 per cent of the workforce accepted a payout and have already been given end dates. They will begin leaving the university in November and December. Most will have gone by January, Professor Donleavy said.

The professor of accounting said the cuts would leave the university doing less, making it less attractive to new students.

"We're already a little university and we're getting smaller," he said.

"It should be about revenue raising. It should be about ensuring more students get into the place, more students sign up.

"The trouble with cutting costs, especially cutting jobs, is you've then got to reduce capacity.

"If you got to reduce capacity, it's harder to sell to new cohorts. And then you start a possibly vicious downward spiral."

He said he felt a death spiral for the university was a "rising danger".

Have your say, send a letter to the editor.

UNE Vice Chancellor and CEO Professor Brigid Heywood said the job cuts were necessary to enable a sustainable future for the university and resolve "our financial difficulties".

"The triple burden of long-term drought, bushfires and COVID-19 created significant operational issues," Professor Heywood said on Friday.

"We have set out to design a new model of operations to create opportunities for growth and meet the needs of an evolving student market."

Countering allegations the university didn't conduct proper consultation over the cuts, she said "over 200 group and individual meetings were held where details of the Time for Change proposals were presented and discussed".

"I am proud to say that our target savings were achieved within the deadlines I set out in July, without resorting to forced redundancies. The voluntary redundancy program has resulted in a reduction of our ongoing payroll costs of around $20 million."

Some redundant staff will end careers of, in some cases, up to 50 years at the university, Professor Heywood said.

The University has been one of the least effected by COVID-19, providing most of its classes online.