Dr Niko Tiliopoulos has been fired due to his disability, which prohibits him from teaching in-person classes.
Tiliopoulos has worked as an academic in the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney for sixteen years and was unable to return to in-person teaching due to severe respiratory and autoimmune conditions.
Both his doctors and the University’s independent Medical Examiner recommended he continue to work remotely in order to protect his health.
In mid-November, USyd management called for a meeting with Tiliopoulos. As Tiliopoulos was only given several hours notice, he was unable to attend. The NTEU, who are representing Tiliopoulos, were not informed of this meeting until an hour before the meeting was due to start and also could not attend.
Instead of rescheduling the meeting, management sent Tiliopoulos an email terminating his employment with only two hours notice.
Several of Tiliopoulos’ former students have spoken out in support.
Kirsten told Honi “Niko is a deeply engaging and responsive teacher both in and out of the classroom. All of my classes with him were remote yet that didn’t stop him at all.
“I’m so surprised to learn that he was fired due to health reasons as he made every class so lively you would have never suspected.”
Kirsten has her own additional health needs, and spoke on what the treatment of Tiliopoulos means for students with a disability at the University.
“[USyd’s] disability support system is a joke. They treat you like a number. They are dismissive at best and contemptuous at worst. I guess Niko’s situation hit me especially hard due to my own personal struggles with how the Uni has handled my health needs.
“If not even a brilliant academic who has been there for 16 years and is loved by his students can survive USyd, what hope do we students have?”
Similarly, Emily Harries noted that Tiliopoulos is “a natural teacher, gifted with students, and warm with a solid core of integrity to boot.
“Being online makes NO DIFFERENCE to his effectiveness, rapport, or energy, all of which match or surpass in-person lecturers, so why is the university choosing to worsen student education and experience by firing him?”
In a comment to Honi, a University spokesperson said “Our Disability Action Plan requires the University to comply with all applicable disability discrimination laws.
“There are many instances across the University where we have put in place flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments for staff with a disability, however staff are still required to perform the inherent requirements of their position.”
They also said “Occasionally, there may not be any reasonable adjustments available. In these unfortunate and rare cases, disability discrimination laws do allow an employer to end a staff member’s employment if they are unable to carry out the inherent requirements of their role.”
As highlighted by his students, Tiliopoulos was able to carry out the requirements of his role online during COVID and beyond.
SRC Disabilities Officer, Khanh Tran, told Honi, “Dr Niko should never have been fired. We are profoundly disappointed that the University and the School of Psychology has refused to support Dr Niko despite his disability and a petition with nearly two thousand signatures.
“It cannot be said that the University is a genuinely inclusive workplace for disabled academics or professional staff. Dr Niko’s treatment sets a truly disturbing precedent for disabled and immunocompromised staff on campus.”
