University of Ballarat Branch
Welcome to the NTEU University of Ballarat Branch. Choose from the list below for useful information and ideas.
- UB News - online now
- Your EB5 in 2008
- Academic Promotions
- AWA Termination
- Pay Rise 2008
- Contacts
- About the Branch
- News and Views
- Useful Links
- Regional Education Forum
- Form Request to End AWA and Join the Collective Agreement
- AWA Petition
- Campaign for a Just Agreement
- Enterprise Bargaining Updates Archive
UB News - online now
Check out the current newsletter (hard copy coming to a pigeon-hole or tearoom near you!)
| Current Newsletter | Latest news for UB staff, out now! |
Your EB5 in 2008
Employment conditions for academic and general staff at the University of Ballarat are covered by the UB Union Collective Agreement 2006-2008. While this agreement expired in March 2008, the terms and conditions continue to apply until the new agreement is settled.
In March the UB Bargaining Team (made up of specially trained UB union activists, chosen by union members) commenced negotiations for Enterprise Bargaining Round 5, otherwise known as EB5. Throughout this process NTEU has been keeping members informed via meetings and regular updates.
Below you will find material relating to the EB5 Campaign.
| Bargaining Sticking Points July 08 | UB News July 2008 contains an outline of the achievements in bargaining, and the current outstanding sticking points. |
| Bargaining Begins at UB | This flyer provides information on the Bargaining process, and ideas on how you can get involved. |
Academic Promotions
On 30 May 2008, NTEU University of Ballarat Branch submitted its response to the draft University of Ballarat Academic Promotions Policy and Procedures. You can read it in detail here.
| NTEU Submission | NTEU UB Branch Submission on the draft University of Ballarat Academic Promotions Policy and Procedures |
AWA Termination
Branch President Jeremy Smith, the University of Ballarat and NTEU recently reached agreement on terms to settle the AWA case in the Federal Court, and also related matters. A key part of the agreement is that the University will agree to terminate AWAs for any staff member currently on an AWA with the University, and return the staff member to the terms and conditions of the UB Union Collective Agreement 2006-2008.
This means if you wish to get off your AWA and return to the Collective Agreement, you can apply and the University will agree during the period covered by the terms of the settlement. You can use the form provided here to request termination of your AWA and return it to the NTEU UB Branch office via internal mail to lodge with Human Resources on your behalf.
Alternatively, you can lodge the form yourself directly with Human Resources.
This process will only be available until there is in-principle agreement for a new UB Collective Agreement.
NTEU will be holding an open information session to which you are most welcome, on Wednesday 30 April 2008 at 12.30 pm in Room T102, Building T, Mount Helen Campus. Following the open forum, NTEU will hold individual consultations for NTEU members only, by appointment.
For further information or to book in for a free consultation about your AWA, contact Janette in the Branch Office on 03 5327 9163 or ballarat@vic.nteu.org.au
| AWA Termination Form | This form will allow you to apply for termination of your AWA and a return to the UB Union Collective Agreement 2006-20008. |
Pay Rise 2008
All University of Ballarat staff covered by the union-negotiated UB Collective Agreement will be receiving a 4.5% pay rise in the first pay period after 6 January 2008.
With this agreement about to expire in March 2008, now is a good time for you to join NTEU if you're not already a member, so that you can strengthen your union's voice and ensure you and your colleagues all get a fair go. To join online, go to www.nteu.org.au/nteu/join; or contact the Branch Office on 03 5327 9163 or email ballarat@vic.nteu.org.au
Check here to see what you should be expecting and compare your increase to what union membership will cost you. And remember that union dues are tax deductible - so however you measure it, membership is a GREAT investment!
| Academic Staff Pay Rise and Union Dues 2008 | This table shows the 2008 pay rise and union dues for ongoing or fixed-term academic staff across all levels. |
| Sessional Academic Staff Pay Rise and Union Dues 2008 | This table shows the 2008 pay rise and union dues for sessional academic staff across all levels. |
| General Staff Pay Rise and Union Dues 2008 | This table shows the 2008 pay rise and union dues for ongoing or fixed-term general staff across all HEW levels. |
| Casual General Staff Pay Rise and Union Dues 2008 | This table shows the 2008 salary levels and union dues for casual general staff across all HEW levels. |
Contacts
Branch Office: 2nd level, Albert Coates Complex (formerly the Union Building), Mt Helen campus. 2nd door on the left up the stairs, or second door on the right from the lift.
ph: (03) 5327 9163
fax: (03) 5327 9162
email: ballarat@vic.nteu.org.au
Office Hours: The Branch office is staffed on a full-time basis by Branch Organiser Janette Dalgliesh; however, Janette may be out and about visiting other campuses. Please feel very welcome to come and visit, but we would advise calling first to confirm that the office is open.
Industrial Officer: Industrial Officer Robyn May
visits on a regular basis and you can arrange an
appointment by phoning the Branch Office on 5327
9163. For urgent assistance please contact the Victorian
Division on 03 9254 1930 or email them on
office@vic.nteu.org.au
Internal Mail: NTEU, Mt Helen Campus
Postal Address: PO BOX 663 BALLARAT 3353
About the Branch
The University of Ballarat Branch of the NTEU is made up of members who work within this university community. All academic and general staff in the Higher Education Division and general staff in the TAFE Division are eligible to become NTEU members. The union represents full-time, part-time, contract and sessional/casual members in all areas of the university and includes research staff, staff employed by student organisations and those working in university companies. The Branch represents and organises the members at the university level. To find out more about the Branch choose a link below.| Branch Committee | Contact details for members of the Branch Committee |
| AGM - President's Annual Reports | Read the annual reports given by the Branch President at the AGM. They provide an overview of events of the previous year and look forward to the events, trends and challenges for the next year. |
| Audited Financial Reports |
News and Views
Check the links below for current and past editions of the UB Branch Newsletter, access to the NTEU's national publications and other useful information
| Publications | NTEU Advocate, Frontline, AUR, NTEU Express, TER and other publications. |
| Current Newsletter | Latest news for UB staff, out now! |
| Fact Sheets | These Fact Sheets will provide guidelines to the UB Union Collective Agreement 2006-2008 |
| Newsletter Archive | Archive of UB News |
Useful Links
Some useful links to community and non-government organisations, union related sites and government sites are provided here.
Links to other web sites or information sources are provided as a courtesy, however we cannot vouch for or take responsibility for the information contained in any links. Their listing does not imply endorsement of their contents or the organisations' philosophies in any way.
| Union Links | Links to labour organisations worldwide and within Australia. |
| Government Links | Links to a variety of federal and state government sites |
| Community Links | Links to various community and non-government organisations |
Regional Education Forum
On 15 May the Branch hosted a very successful regional forum, where we were extremely fortunate to hear from five key speakers.
Wide-ranging discussions resulted in general consensus about the crucial importance of regional universities to the future of regional Australia; and the amazing contribution made by UB to the region it serves. The Vice-Chancellor praised the NTEU UB Branch for its foresight in organising the forum and providing an opportunity to discuss the important issues around regional education in a participative manner.
And NTEU - through the National President - pledged to work with the Vice-Chancellor in lobbying for the future sustainability of UB
Key speakers generously gave permission for their speeches or powerpoint presentations to be made available. Click on a link below to see what they had to say!
| Welcome to Land | Wayne Muir provided the welcome to land on behalf of its traditional custodians, his ancestors, the Wathaurong people. |
| Mayor David Vendy | Mayor David Vendy summarised the great benefits UB brings to the Ballarat region. |
| VC Prof David Battersby | The Vice-Chancellor explored the critical contribution regional universities make to regional Australia, in helping slow the migration of rural youth to the cities. |
| Dr Carolyn Allport | NTEU National President Dr Carolyn Allport discussed the importance of community engagement, and why regional universities - and UB in particular - do it so well. |
| Wayne Muir | Chair of the Ballarat Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, Wayne Muir, praised UB for some solid foundations in its work with the Indigenous community - and challenged the university to do more. |
| Catherine King MP | Federal Member for Ballarat, Catherine King MP, explored the importance of government support for regional universities, and discussed the realities of the recent Federal budget. |
| Forum photos 01 | Photos from the Regional Education Forum |
| Forum photos 02 | More photos from the Regional Education Forum |
| Forum photos 03 | ... and still more photos from the Regional Education Forum! |
Form Request to End AWA and Join the Collective Agreement
The Branch is running a campaign to help members who have signed an AWA to return to the Collective Agreement. To request that you be returned to the Collective Agreement, click on the link below and download the suggested draft letter.
You will need to personalise this, so just follow the directions to make the necessary changes and send it to UB. You will also need to copy your letter to the Ballarat NTEU Branch office so we can keep track of requests and maintain pressure on UB management.
IMPORTANT! You should also ensure that you have signed a Bargaining Agent form which allows for the NTEU to act on your behalf in all industrial issues. If you have not signed a BA as yet, click here to download a form - you can send it with the copy of your AWA cancellation letter directly to the NTEU.
| Letter to Request Your AWA be Cancelled | To send a letter to request the cancellation of your AWA and your return to the Collective Agreement, click here. |
AWA Petition
Please sign the Petition calling on UB management to give staff
who have signed an AWA the opportunity to move to the new Union
Collective Agreement as soon as possible.
| AWA petition |
Campaign for a Just Agreement
Joint Unions' members meeting endorses union collective agreement
After a lengthy and difficult campaign for a just union negotiated collective agreement, the NTEU is delighted to be able to report endorsement of the proposed Union Collective Agreement by the members. This represents a great result for the members of staff who engaged in the campaign, as the principle of being able to negotiate a collective union agreement was successfully defended. A report of the joint unions meeting held on Wednesday 7th July 2006 can be found at the first link below. The proposed final agreement now goes to the Office of the Employment Advocate for vetting for compliance with the Workchoices legislation.
Some of the main improvements contained in this agreement can be seen at the third link below. The complete agreement can be found just below that. If you have any questions about the agreement please contact Jeremy Smith, Branch President, on jeremy.smith@ballarat.edu.au or Steve McEachern, Branch Vice President (Academic), on s.mceachern@ballarat.edu.au
Further information on the lengthy EB process and the campaign is provided below the agreement.
| Achieving new Union Collective Agreement | The media release reports on the 'in-principle' finalisation of the new union collective agreement |
| Presentation from Joint Unions' Mtg 5 July | The powerpoint presentation and motion from the joint unions' meeting held 5th July |
| Summary of improvements in new union collective agreement | The document provides a summary of the improvements in the new union collective agreement, as well as a comparison with the AWAs offered to staff |
| Union Collective Agreement for endorsement 2006 | The complete Union Collective Agreement that the joint union negotiators will seek members' endorsement for on 5 July |
| Positive report on negotiations 10/5 | Finally, the EB team can report positive results from negotiations with management |
| Detailed Comment and analysis on current campaign | This newsletter provides a detailed report on the class action, comment on IR and analysis of the current campaign. |
| Uni made Fed Court undertaking re AWAs | UB will issue a Clarifying Statement to all staff on the conditions that will be lost with AWAs. |
| Staff take Class Action Against UB | Staff take Fed Court Class Action against UB for issuing misleading information on AWAs |
| UB Receives International Condemnation Over AWAs | International organisations representing academic staff condemn UB over AWAs. |
| Spot the Pattern... | This poster has quotes from management alongside what actually happened. See the difference! |
| Back Pay is on our Agenda | A brief outline of the campaign aims in early 2006 |
| AWAs: The Truth | The NTEU calls on UB to issue a correction notice and outlines misleading or false information from UB. |
| Comparison between Current Conditions and the AWAs Offered | Examines the differences between existing staff conditions and the proposed AWAs. |
| New Agreement Still Sub Standard | The bulletin examines in detail the latest management agreement that is being put to staff in the second ballot. |
| Staff Reject VC's Second Agreement | This media release outlines responses from the VC and the union to the second No Vote. |
| Posters/Information Sheets | Download some posters for your door or read brief information about the second ballot. |
| Why Vote No - Newspaper Ad 19/11 | Look at the chart that outlines the comparisons with other Universities. It would make a great poster for your door or staffroom also. |
| General Secretary's Speech at All Staff Meeting 10/11 | If you missed Grahame McCulloch's speech to the meeting of all staff 10th Nov on the VC's new agreement and the National context, listen to it here. |
| New VC Search Submission | How the University Council should approach the search process for the new VC. |
| New draft HEWRR-compliant Agreement | The NTEU has prepared a new draft Agreement that should be HEWRR-compliant and protects employment conditions. The NTEU has forwarded the draft Agreement to management as the basis for negotiations if the staff ballot rejects management's proposed agreement. Downlaod as PDF. |
| Newspaper advertisement - "Vote No to management's proposed agreement" | Advertisement that appeared in the Ballarat Courier on 15 and 17 October, and the Wimmera Mail-Times on 17 October. |
| HEWRR-compliant Agreements show UB management is wrong | New Enterprise Agreements that comply with the federal government’s industrial relations requirements (the HEWRRs) have been finalised at Deakin University, Southern Cross University and the University of Qld. |
| It's NOT just black and white | Download this A3 poster - UB management is WRONG about other universities reaching HEWRR-compliant agreements with NTEU involvement. |
| VOTE NO poster | Download this A3 poster for your office or noticeboard |
| Ballarat strips away conditions from agreement | The Enterprise Agreement that University of Ballarat (UB) management will put to a staff ballot from 17-21 October strips away key employment conditions in exchange for inadequate pay increases. The NTEU urges all UB staff to vote NO in the upcoming ballot. |
| Management's draft agreement exposed | Analysis of management's draft agreement (PowerPoint file) |
| Letter Writing to University Councillors September 2005 | Staff communicate directly with UB Councillors to express their concerns. Find out how. |
| Results of Survey of Staff August 2005 | A brief overview of the results. The detailed results can be found in the PDF file. |
| How will your Conditions and Pay be Decided? | A summary of the EB (Enterprise Bargaining) process from July 2005 onwards |
| Latest Pay Offer Backward Step | The latest pay offer by the University of Ballarat is a backward step from their original offer, which in itself was not acceptable to the NTEU. |
| Why Ballarat is no Newcastle | A brief analysis that shows why it is incorrect to say that the University of Ballarat is in the same financial position as the University of Newcastle |
| Why is management choosing not to negotiate with staff? | Why is management seeking to have a staff ballot on a non-negotiated agreement? |
| Is it a problem if the Agreement is not negotiated with Unions? | Fact Sheet 2 looks at concerns for staff if management single-handedly develop the Enterprise Agreement. |
| Extra 5% for Uni - Is it at risk? | The extra 5% that management can get from the Government is only at risk if management continues to head towards a non-union agreement. |
| What is the Real Cost of Different Pay Increases - Poor Morale | Examines the costs of management's different pay offers for academic and general staff. Both in terms of money and in staff morale. |
| Messages of Support | The Branch has received over 40 messages of support for the campaign from individual NTEU members from across the country, as well as from the NTEU National Executive, other Branches and other Unions. |
| Comparison of Salary Offers/Outcomes | An indicative comparison of salary offers/outcomes between UB, Deakin University and Charles Sturt University |
| A Short History of Enterprise Bargaining at UB | A timeline of Enterprise Bargaining from September 2003 until April 2005 |
| Suggestions for Management Roadshows | Some suggested questions for the management roadshows in July and August 2005 |
Enterprise Bargaining Updates Archive
Negotiations in Enterprise Bargaining Round Four were long and drawn out, with management at one stage stating that they were seeking a non-negotiated enterprise agreement. Legal industrial action was pursued in support of the union's claim. For details of that campaign, look at the Campaign for a Just Agreement for all Staff above. For reports from the early days of EB4, choose a link below.
| EB Update 7 | An update from 1st November 2004. |
| EB Update 6 | An update from 6th October 2004. |
| EB Update 5 | An update from the 11th August 2004. |
| EB Update 4 | An EB update from the 8th June 2004. |
| ebupdate3 | An enterprise bargaining (EB) update from April 2004. |
| EB Updates | EB Update 30 January 2004 |