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Members urged to vote in EB Ballot
All eligible members of staff are urged to VOTE in the ballot on the ACU Enterprise Agreement (2010-2013), which opened today.
The ballot will run from Friday 11 February 2011 and will remain open until 5pm (EDST) on Tuesday, 15 February, 2011.
As reported in the recent issue of ACU Union news, the Agreement restores the conditions which were lost in the last round of bargaining due to strict government requirements which tied University funding to conditions of employment in Enterprise Agreements.
There are a number of achievements in the proposed agreement including:
- Salary increase of 20% compounded to 21.6% which is among the highest pay rises in the sector.
- Academic workload limited to 1595 hours per annum, normally teaching and research.
- Improved monitoring of academic workloads through a joint union/management committee.
- Improvements on general staff classification processes via a joint union-management committee.
- Restrictions on the use of fixed term contracts plus a conversion process to on-going employment.
- Improvements for casual staff, including guaranteed 9% superannuation.
- Improved dispute settling procedures including the right of the Union to raise a dispute.
- Commitment to Indigenous employment strategy and a target of 2% of staff.
- Extension of carers leave entitlements to male employees.
- Statement of principle regarding intellectual freedom.
You can review the proposed Enterprise Agreement, the Common Understandings document (which reflects the agreement reached about the implementation of some of the proposed Agreement provisions), a document which provides a Summary of the Changes for the Proposed Enterprise Agreement, and, a comprehensive comparison document which details the provisions of the current Enterprise Agreement compared to the proposed Enterprise Agreement on the University's Enterprise Bargaining sharepoint site at: http://sharepoint.acu.edu.au/corporateservices/hr/EB/default.aspx (ACU Staff only).
We acknowledge that there are concerns amongst academic staff about the Academic Staff Workload Policy. It should be noted, however, that in general the agreement is good and has been endorsed by the NTEU National Executive, and approved by our branch member colleagues in general meetings.
In this context the branch executive recommends that members vote YES.
Please consider your decision carefully before registering your vote, but above all VOTE.
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[ -2 ] Colleagues,
Like • Dislike • Report AbuseI write to advise that the Ballot on acceptance of the Agreement has concluded. We have been successful with a 90%+ vote in favour of our position supporting the Agreement. The process of confirmation may now take its course.
I thank all members for their input and support, and now commit the Branch to addressing the major issues of implementation arising from this vote. This is not a time for deep reflection but to gather up our endeavour and build on what successes we have achieved.
There is a need to build a culture within the University that reflects its Mission Statement. That the roles in which we are employed are seen as important and the activities having lasting value, and our capacity to sit together, discuss and represent be seen as part of the institutional fabric of the organisation.