Back to University of New South Wales
Demonstration outside UNSW Council meeting on the 21st Feb at 1:30pm
NTEU academic members at UNSW have been negotiating an Enterprise Agreement for more than 2 years. They have taken a series of industrial actions over that time, the last being results bans which led to 38 academics being stood down from their positions without pay for almost 2 months over the Christmas period.
They are fighting for improvements in conditions in several areas, the key issue being job security. Nearly 50 percent of staff at UNSW are employed on some kind of insecure employment - casual or fixed term contracts.
After years of study and dedication to academia, many academics find themselves on a series of consecutive fixed term contracts, leaving them without financial security and unable to adequately plan their lives. They say this ultimately impacts on the quality of educational outcomes and therefore the reputation of the University.
UNSW management has been unwilling to re-insert the clause, taken out under Howard legislation, that limits the use of fixed term and casual employment at UNSW. 32 other Universities around the country have re-inserted the clause. Legitimately, NTEU members ask why they should be treated differently.
NTEU members are determined to fight on at UNSW until they win the right to real job security.
UNSW Council meets 6 times a year. The demonstration will be outside the first Council meeting of 2011. If you are concerned about where UNSW is going – in terms of job security, workloads, gender equity, corporate governance, transparency etc – please make your unease felt at this demonstration.
Demonstration: outside UNSW Council meeting on the 21st Feb at 1:30pm - UNSW Kensington campus, outside the Chancellery
Post a comment
Comments
[ -1 ] 'impatient' is right.... its time to use the democtatic structures of the university to show that the vast majority of academics, some of which are union members, demand a new agreement with a fair pay rise and decent conditions.... all academics are members of their faculty board - the NTEU should draft a motion for each board that demands a new agreement after 2.5 years of absolutely nothing....
Like • Dislike • Report Abuse[ -4 ] All this is just nonsense, and isn’t going to get anywhere. A few Academics here and there withholding part of their teaching duties… what impact would that have?
Like • Dislike • Report AbuseIts time we asserted our membership rights, the academic board, the Faculty Boards which all Academics are members of.. NTEU, help coordinate a strong motion which every Faculty Board can pass, demanding the Council finalised the pay and conditions for Academics, and seek to organise the Academic Board to pass something similar, refusing to meet until the Council resolves this conflict… This is the only way to assert power over the Council, by showing the Council the members they report to, are unhappy..
[ +3 ] @Pete are you sure you were at UNSW yesterday? 30-40? Mate get some glasses there were more than 100 people there and some of them were no members of our union.
Like • Dislike • Report AbuseA lot of members couldn't get to the demonstration as they were preparing work schedules for our students.
Striking and withholding of the marks of students is not something we enjoy, but sometime it is needed. It is something that we will discuss at our next meeting I'm guessing.
[ -5 ] Not a great show of support yesterday, I was walking past and saw about 30-40 people there. I was thinking that with all the promotion it would have got at least 100 or more. I actually was going to come and show my support, but with those numbers I wasn't going to be a part of it.
Like • Dislike • Report AbuseI'd suggest you get your act together and DO NOT GIVE IN this time. Strike, hold marks etc its the only way that the UNSW Management will come to the table.