Pay outcome comparisons; Results Bans; Stood down info; Get togethers
In this post:
- Bargaining - pay outcome comparisons
- Results bans - some further information
- What to do if/when you receive a notification that you are to be stood down (docked pay) for the period of the bans
- Get-togethers for members
Bargaining - pay outcome comparisons
Some members are concerned that the message about pay parity with other universities is not getting through clearly enough. Here is a brief summary from Branch Vice President Lloyd Cox's analysis. You can find more info on our website (www.mqstaff.org/pay).
Currently, Macquarie sits 7th in the country in pay for academic staff, and 8th in the country in pay for general staff (all calculations include our 2% pay rise in March). However, we must remember that Macquarie is in Australia’s most expensive city in Australia’s most expensive state.
Here Macquarie rates fourth equal in Sydney for academics and general staff, and 6th in the state (in other words, towards the bottom in Sydney, and in the middle in NSW)
In comparison to our direct competitors in the Sydney university market, Macquarie currently lags behind by a considerable margin for academics:
- USYD - 7.83% better pay than Macquarie
- UNSW - 5.09% better pay than Macquarie
- UWS - 3.40% better pay than Macquarie (but UWS 6.98% better for Professors)
Differences with USYD
- B1 - $230 fortnight
- C1 - $287 fortnight
- D1 - $351 fortnight
- E1 - $712 fortnight
Differences with UWS
- B1 $100 fortnight
- C1 $104 fortnight
- D1 $109 fortnight
- E1 $369 fortnight
Macquarie also lags our competitors with respect to general staff (calculated using Hew 5, step 1):
- USYD - 7.69% more pay than Macquarie ($157 more per fortnight)
- UNSW - 4.06% more pay than Macquarie ($83 per fortnight more)
- UWS - 1.38% more pay than Macquarie ($28 per fortnight more)
To achieve parity with Sydney, would need a 16.20% compounded increase by January 2012, which is equivalent to a 12.15% annualized increase.
To achieve parity with UWS, would need a 12.92% compounded increase by May 2012, which is equivalent to a 7.4% annualized increase (for professors, the increase would need to be 16.82% to achieve parity with their UWS counterparts by May 2012).
Just to maintain the present percentage gap with USYD and UWS, would need the same percentage increases as they have recently won – 18% compounded at USYD over 34 months, 18% compounded at UWS over 38 months.
But maintenance of the percentage gap would of course mean a widening of the dollar gap, as Macquarie staff are starting from a lower base.
Results bans - some further information
I have had some correspondence with Tim Sprague about the exemptions application page on our website (for students seeking exemption from the ban on the grounds of severe disadvantage). He has claimed that the wording is ambiguous and seems to endorse the release of "unofficial" grades to students. Please note that this is not the intention of our advice: final grades cannot be released (even as "unofficial") until approved by Academic Senate. You may, however, release assessment task marks/grades and feedback to students as you would normally. That is, there is no ban on handing back marked assignment work, tests and so on.
We have had some questions from members about what they should do if they are stood down but have a conference to go to. There are concerns about insurance and funding - we are seeking advice on this and will provide further information next week.
What to do if/when you receive a notification that you are to be stood down (docked pay) for the period of the bans
Contact the NTEU Branch office immediately, either by email or in person.
Get-togethers for members
We want to make sure no-one feels alone or isolated as the bans are implemented, so from Tuesday next week (when the docking of pay is likely to start in earnest), we will be having some fun get-togethers here at uni for ALL members, whether you are taking action or supporting it in any of the ways we've talked about in previous emails. The first one will be (weather permitting) a picnic under the trees outside E11A, from 12noon-2pm on Tuesday 7th December. We'll provide some nibbles,bread rolls, BBQ chicken, salad and soft drink - please BYO any other food and drinks, card tables, chairs and picnic blankets. As we're bargaining on that day, the EB team will also come down in the lunch break (or after bargaining, depending on how serious the Management team is about negotiating) and will provide a progress report on negotiations. We look forward to seeing you there!
Note: if it's wet, we'll meet at Marxines coffee shop and colonise the U@MQ building!
On Wednesday, depending on bargaining progress, we will probably have a BBQ and a few games (boules, frisbee, stone-skipping on the lake etc). On Thursday, when the bans are fully in force, we might do a bit of an awards ceremony and invite Steven Schwartz along to receive an NTEU Recruitment Award for the great work he's done in building the Union over the last few months. If you have any suggestions for Friday, let us know!
In the meantime, maintain your rage and your firm resolve to fight collectively for our pay and conditions! We have lots of support both within and beyond MQ!
VENCEREMOS!
In Solidarity
Cathy
--
Cathy Rytmeister
Lecturer, Academic Development (Leadership and Management; Evaluation)
Learning and Teaching Centre
Macquarie University NSW 2109
+ 61 2 9850 9719

Comments
[ +2 ] SDC, you are a freaking idiot. Did you even think before you said anything? Just because lecturers spend so many hours in class, it doesnt mean that they don't work outside of those hours. Think of the preparation, consultation, research etc etc that they do outside of the lecture and class times. Just because you have had a poor experience with your lecturers and tutors doesn't mean that we all have. I have had a highly positive experience with my tutors and lecturers and I believe that all of them spent a veritable amount of time preparing and I don't see why they should not be afforded parity with regards to pay with the other universities.
Like • Dislike •Stop going on your 'real world' rant, because you obviously have no idea. Maybe if you cease this egocentrism and think a little deeper about why people do things, you will realise that the staff at MQ are entitled to better conditions and pay, aswell well as job security, just like everyone else out there in your 'real world'.
and also, get over it, you'll have to wait a little longer for results. Man Up.
[ -4 ] What an absolute joke... You call yourselves overworked and say that you don't receive fair conditions, spend some time working in a job outside of university and you will find that doing about 10-15 hours of classes and lectures really is a blessing. You want better money get out in the real world and they will replace you with some lecturers that don't just stand there reading word for word off slides and tutors that actually bother to turn up on time and know how to log in and use a computer + projector. As many have said before don't punish students for your own greed. I fully support the uni and their stance on your pay
Like • Dislike •[ 0 ] Thanks JK. Yes, it's on the mqstaff.org site.
Like • Dislike •[ -3 ] I think the confusion about where the "students" tab is due to the fact that these posts appear on more than one website. If you're viewing this on the www.universitybargaining.com.au site there is no "students" tab. You need to go to www.mqstaff.org where you will find another copy of this post and the "students" tab.
Like • Dislike •[ 0 ] Jonathan - "Students" tab is top right of this page. There you will find FAQs, an explanation of the industrial action and a link to the exemptions page.
Like • Dislike •James, yes, it is legal - we are taking protected industrial action under the Fair Work Act, in pursuit of bargaining claims that will provide for the quality of your education. We are entitled to withdraw our labour to make the point about how valuable it is. One day you may be in the situation we are in, with an employer who refuses to provide fair conditions that other employers in the same industry are providing. What would YOU do in that situation? How would YOU deal with such injustice?
We have been bargaining for 18months. There has been much give and take. But on the key claims around job security and pay, the University Management is refusing to budge an inch. 30 other universities have given a better deal. Why should MQ staff suffer because the VC is building a property development empire? Don't you think the money would be better spent on the people who teach you and who, through their research, build the knowledge in your disciplines? Have a think about whether you want to be taught by overworked, underpaid, casual staff.
Good working conditions for staff mean good learning conditions for students. Please take the time to find out the facts and have a think about the longer term.
[ -1 ] HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO THE PAYING STUDENTS.
Like • Dislike •You have your issues in your jobs just as we have issues in our jobs. I fully supported your causes and many of my excellent tutors. But-
We PAY for our education and we have the RIGHT to know our EARNED results. Many of us work hard, juggle jobs to support oueselves and stress ourselves to bone about the results we get and the effect they will have on our futures.
I'll tell you this, I certainly will not be supporting any staff member who withholds our resuts. IT'S NOT FAIR. NTEU- You've lost a supporter.
How is this even legal? More importantly who came up with this ludicrous idea.
[ -2 ] Cathy or others who organise NTEU at Macquarie,
Like • Dislike •Where is this "Students" tab that you speak of where we can apply for an exemption from this action? Also, how long can this action last?
[ 0 ] so are you saying that as long as you don't get what you want, we'll never get our results?
Like • Dislike •[ +5 ] http://www.sciencebasednutrition.net/category/steven-schwartz/
Like • Dislike •[ -2 ] Frank, Parliament can't force VCs to do anything - universities are independent statutory bodies. Theoretically the Federal Government COULD force them to do certain things by using the corporations power that it has in the constitution, but we wouldn't actually want Governments directly intervening in universities as that would compromise our independence and academic freedom. The Federal Government can only get universities to do what it wants by offering them money to do it, or threatening to withhold money if they don't do it - but unfortunately they're not so much on our side that they'll withhold money if VCs don't give fair pay and conditions. Indeed, we got into this mess in the first place because of the very opposite happening - the Howard Government bribed universities to downgrade staff working conditions. That Government has gone and 30 of the universities have given those conditions back - but not Macquarie. We don't think that's fair.
Like • Dislike •@"honestly speaking" (but not so honest that you'll give your name) - we do NOT block posts for political reasons on this blog, unlike the VC's blog. I don't know why your posts were rejected - we will only block them if they are illegal to publish because they are defamatory or vilify people. We haven't even blocked posts that our guidelines (see below) say we could block - eg abusive ones - because, well,let's face it, if people are abusive they kind of defeat their own argument.
We are not "punishing" students - students will get results, but they will be late. For most of you (including my own daughter, who is a Macquarie student) this is an inconvenience, but hardly a crisis. Where students would suffer real disadvantage, we will exempt their results from the bans - apply online via the "students" tab above.
Remember that EVEN IF WE WERE NOT withholding results, you STILL wouldn't be getting them until Dec 17th, so calm down - a lot can happen between now and then.
Don't believe the VC and Provost's propaganda about students being "innocent victims" of the NTEU. WHY do you think they'd want you to think that? - because the VC's position on employment of staff (they want MORE casual and fixed-term contracts) is the REAL CAUSE of potential falls in quality of research and teaching. Overcrowded classrooms, overworked staff, lack of student access to staff (because they are casual and not on campus), lack of time to redevelop and update curriculum and teaching materials, threats to academic freedom, cuts to face-to-face teaching hours (as will happen in Science due to budget cuts) - students are not victims of the NTEU but of the University Management's decisions in how the money is spent. According to their OWN information, they would rather spend money developing property for lease to private companies than spend it on staff to teach students. We are fighting these battles as much for your benefit as for our own.