The university announced on Friday that about 350 jobs would go across all of its campuses but gave minimal information about which jobs would be axed.

A union official yesterday criticised the university for not being more upfront with its employees.

National Tertiary Education Union president Virginia Mansel Lees said staff would have no choice in the matter, with no voluntary redundancies to be offered.

Specific staff would be targeted.

Ms Mansel Lees argues that the university already knows exactly which staff it will be culling and says it is unfair to allow the uncertainty to continue.

For some, that uncertainty over their future for the next few months would be a more difficult thing to deal with than actually knowing their job was going to go.

It is a situation that must create a sense of fear and anxiety, which makes for a difficult environment and low morale.

The university will need time to work on any restructure, but there should be some sense of urgency in sharing the details with its staff.