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Academic Bargaining Update 4 April 2011

Posted 5 April 2011 by Sarah Hafez (University of Wollongong)

Yesterday your academic bargaining team met with management and we can report some progress on the issues of job security and annual leave. There can be no doubt that this change in attitude from management is as a result of the conversations that members have been having in their workplaces in recent weeks and the pressure that an engaged and active membership puts on management.

In contrast to their previous hardline stance, management have now indicated a willingness to discuss the inclusion of fixed term appointments in the Agreement. This claim has been a cornerstone of the Union’s push for job security and is a step in the right direction to achieve that claim. However, this fight is not over. Management continues to want maximum flexibility including additional categories where fixed-term contracts can be used.  Your bargaining team are working hard to secure genuine and enforceable improvements to your job security.

Prior to this meeting, management’s position on annual leave was that they wanted to be able to force academic staff to take leave once 25 days had been accrued, and to deduct leave even when staff have not taken, or even applied for, annual leave. Again, as a direct result of pressure from members on the ground, management today tabled a new clause which does not include the notion of deeming. Instead, the proposed clause would allow annual leave to be accrued to 35 days at which time management can direct the taking of a proportion of that unless a leave request form is already in the system. Your team are confident that with some further discussion around the nature of the proportion an acceptable outcome can be reached.

At the last meeting Professor Patterson, who leads the management negotiating team, stated that there would be no further salary offers. Today, however, he indicated that a movement in salary would not be discussed until all other matters had been resolved.

We cannot stress strongly enough that this change in attitude and movement in position is directly related to the work that the Union is doing on the ground engaging members around bargaining and seeking input on how to bring the negotiations to conclusion. But we can’t stop here.

Another bargaining meeting will be held next week and we hope to be able to report further progress after that meeting. Until then, we encourage members to continue to remain engaged with the process, speak with colleagues and attend the general meeting of members at 12:30pm Wednesday 20 April in room 67.107 to have your say on how we bring this to an end and obtain a result that staff at UOW deserve.

Genevieve Kelly
State Secretary
NTEU NSW Division