Swinburne University Branch
The NTEU represents the rights and entitlements of general and academic staff at Swinburne University and the Swinburne Bookshop Co-operative.
- Collective Bargaining - What To Expect!
- Contact Details - Where to Find NTEU at Swinburne
- Our Universities Matter
- TAFE Should be For Everyone
- Award Safety Net in Higher Education
- Sessional Staff
- Workload Survey - Academic Staff
- Branch Finances 2006/07
- Further Resources
- Branch Newsletters
- Swinburne Certified Agreements
- How to Join NTEU
- NTEU Swinburne Branch Committee
- Research Quality Framework
- Events
- NTEU Fees - Taxation Statements for 2007-2008
Collective Bargaining - What To Expect!
NTEU Swinburne Members' log of claims has now been endorsed by the membership and lodged with the University. Peter Harkness, Branch President, signed the log on Friday 30 May 2008 (pictured right).We await management's reponse and expect to commence negotiations shortly.
Any enquiries about bargaining to: Ann Healey, Branch Organiser 9214 8162 or Gia Underwood, Industrial Organiser 9254 1930.
| Swinburne Log of Claims | Log of claims lodged with Swinburne University on 30 May 2008. |
| Discussion | This secure forum is for exclusive use of members of NTEU Swinburne Branch. Your pay and conditions are up for discussion RIGHT NOW - don't miss this opportunity to ask for what you want. |
Contact Details - Where to Find NTEU at Swinburne
The NTEU has on office at the Hawthorn Campus, staffed Monday-Friday, 9am-5 pm.
You can find the NTEU Branch Office at:
* 463b Burwood Road (enter from McLeod Lane at the rear of the building) Hawthorn 3122
Phone: 9214 8162 Fax: 9819 9699 Email: nteusw@vtown.com.au
* Branch Organiser: Ann Healey nteusw@vtown.com.au
* Division Industrial Support: Gia Underwood gunderwood@vic.nteu.org.au
Note: Rhidian Thomas is no longer with the Swinburne Branch. On behalf of the membership, we thank Rhidian for his hard work over several months.
>Urgent calls: We respond to all voice mail and email messages. However, please note that staff are sometimes involved in meetings, training and other out-of-office activities. If your matter can't wait, please contact NTEU Victorian Division 9254 1930.
>From February 2008, the Branch will visit each campus at least monthly. This doesn't prevent us from coming out to see members who need help sooner. Please ring the Branch if your matter can't wait.
Our Universities Matter
NTEU campaign for a better higher education system|
|
NTEU will campaign during 2008 to reinvigorate Australia’s universities under the banner of Our Universities Matter – Investing in People and Society. The campaign’s aims include:
- Achieving higher levels of government funding and better funding mechanisms.
- The protection of university independence and freedom of inquiry.
- Controls on excessive workloads, better job security and a competitive pay rise for university staff.
- A better deal for students around affordability and improved student services.
All 39 Australian public universities will negotiate new Collective Agreements during 2008–09, which will set salary levels and employment conditions for staff for the next three years.
The campaign will link our Collective Bargaining directly with the broader public discussions about the higher education sector’s future.
For more information on the campaign go to http://www.nteu.org.au/campaigns/ouruniversitiesmatter
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
- Sign the petition. Go to the website and sign the national petition which calls on the Federal Government to improve university funding; improve access to universities; and legislate to protect academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
- Bookmark the website. Save the campaign website in your favourites and refer back to it on a regular basis to stay up to date with campaign events.
- Distribute material. Download material from the website or contact the Branch and we can arrange for you to receive material that can be distributed amongst your colleagues.
- Sign the statement on academic freedom and institutional autonomy. If you are a senior academic or general staff member go to the website and sign the statement.
BE ACTIVE. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
TAFE Should be For Everyone
The Victorian Government is contemplating a radical overhaul of the Vocational Education & Training (VET) system (of which TAFEs and other Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are a part of) in
The NTEU has written to members and non-members at Swinburne urging them to write to Minister Jacinta Allen. This is your chance to have a say and make a difference by just sending a simple email. We can send you a copy of our letter if you didn't receive it, or know someone who might like a copy.
We also encourage you to go to URL http://www.justact.org.au/?page_id=150 – to find out more about the issues! This is part of the website for Uniting Church Social Justice Unit. It provides much relevant information.
Lots of people from all backgrounds at some stage in their life access TAFE education. There are TAFE programs in schools. People wanting to change career often go to TAFE to skill up. It is generally a cheaper and more supportive option that benefits disadvantaged people like Indigenous Australians and rural students.
The Victorian Government is seriously considering increasing fees to TAFE as well introducing more competition between TAFE providers- which could mean less accessibility and less money going to your local TAFE.
A quick respectful email to the Honourable Jacinta Allan, Victorian Minister for Regional and Rural Development and Skills and Workforce Participation could make all the difference – right now. The Government is open to your feedback.
Award Safety Net in Higher Education
The Australian Industrial Relations Commission is currently
considering proposals for a new Higher Education Modern
Award. As part of the Rudd Governments industrial relations
legislation, all awards are to be modernised, with disparate
conditions across different universities to be rationalised.
The higher education employers proposals for new award standards
represent the biggest attack on award conditions ever proposed in
higher education.
In universities, the actual conditions of staff are set by
collective bargaining with the NTEU and other unions. However, the
awards act at a safety net of conditions, below which future
agreements cannot go. The Awards would also set actual conditions
if the collective agreement is cancelled something which has
happened in a number of other industries.
A draft Award tabled by the university employers proposes major
reductions in award conditions for all staff:
Specifically, the employers proposals would:
- Remove the HECE Award
restrictions on the use of fixed-term contracts, allowing staff to
again be employed for 20 years on annual contracts for ongoing
work
- Completely remove paid
maternity leave from the awards for nearly 25,000 staff.
- Cut redundancy payments
and notice of termination for all academic staff and many thousands
of general staff, by up to 6 months pay or notice;
- Abolish accrued sick
leave entitlements (which for many long-serving staff who have not
used sick leave, would exceed 200 days) and cut the annual
entitlement to sick and carers leave to 10 days per annum.
- Allow the employer to
reschedule all 11 public holidays, to any days they wish including
Sundays!!
- Cut the base salary for
general staff at 15 universities by between 1 and 5%.
- Increase the hours of
work for most general staff by between 1 and 3 hours per week,
effectively cutting the hourly rate of pay by up to 6%, on top of
the cut in the base salary.
- Remove of 3% award
superannuation entitlements for thousands of low-paid casual
staff.
- Introduce stand-down
provisions to allow the employer to stand down general staff when
they cannot be usefully employed.
By contrast, the unions have sought an approach to the averaging of
conditions which has tried to protect the interests of all staff,
while recognising that it is not possible simply to pick the best
of every condition in the country.
As the Award modernisation process was initiated by the new Labor
Government, NTEU now believes the Government should intervene in
the Commission proceedings to indicate that it rejects the
employers award-slashing approach.
Members may also wish to ask the Swinburne Vice-Chancellor, Ian
Young, whether he is aware that the University is seeking to cut
the award safety net and, if so, why the University is supporting
this approach. The VC can be emailed on iyoung@swin.edu.au.
If you would like more information about the proposals in Award
modernisation, including the NTEU Submissions and the AHEIA/Go8
proposed award, go to:
http://www.airc.gov.au/awardmod/fullbench/industries/awardmodindustry.cfm?award=highed
[Members should note that some conditions at some universities are
set out in an Award which only applies to one university. Under the
new legislation these are called enterprise awards and these awards
will not be affected by these changes. For the time being, this
will provide some limited protection to general staff members at
ACU, BIITE, CDU, ANU, Flinders, University of Adelaide, Uni of Qld,
UWA, Uni of Canberra, UNE, UNSW, Uni Tas, UTS and UWS; and for
academic staff at ECU, Curtin, CDU, Uni of Canberra, BIITE and Un
of Tas (Launceston).]
Sessional Staff
We also represent the rights of casual and sessional staff at Swinburne.
unicasual.com.au is a workplace information portal for Australian casual academic staff. Produced by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), this site contains details about your workplace rights, your obligations and those of your employers, and information on how NTEU can assist you.
Workload Survey - Academic Staff
The academic workload survey is now closed. Thank you for your participation. We will report back to you as soon as possible about the outcomes.
Branch Finances 2006/07
The financial report for the year 2006-2007 was received by members at the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 18 December 2007. Members will be requested to provide final endorsement in April 2008.| Financial statements | Download financial statements. |
Further Resources
Joining NTEU : www.nteu.org.au/join. NTEU fees are 1% of your gross salary. The rate for casual/sessional staff is $55 per annum.
Bargaining Agent Authority Forms (current NTEU members only) : http://www.nteu.org.au/rights/awa/agent
Transferring payment of fees from payroll deduction (current NTEU members only) : http://www.nteu.org.au/join/prd
ACTU : www.actu.asn.au
Your Rights at Work : www.yourrightsatwork.com.au
Victorian Trades Hall Council : www.vthc.org.au
NTEU Member Benefits : www.nteu.org.au/benefits
Worksafe - Prevention of Bullying and Violence in the Workplace : http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/WorkSafe/Home/Forms%20and%20Publications/Educational%20Material/Prevention%20of%20bullying%20and%20violence%20at%20work
Victorian Ombudsman : www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission : www.hreoc.gov.au
Branch Newsletters
SWOT Spring 2007 was distributed late in 2007. If you didn't
get a copy, please contact the Branch and we'll mail one out to
you.
The SWOT includes updates about SCC staff rep elections,
entitlements for redundant staff, OH&S update and "Big
Brother approach to performance management".
Swinburne Certified Agreements
Swinburne University and Swinburne Bookshop certified agreements can be downloaded here.
| Certified Agreement General & Academic Staff 2006-2008 | Where to find the General and Academic Staff Certified Agreement. |
| Swinburne Bookshop Co-operative Agreement | Swinburne Bookshop Co-operative Agreement has expired. Terms and conditions in the last agreement continue to apply. |
How to Join NTEU
Join the NTEU
NTEU membership is open to all Swinburne general staff, academic staff, and Swinburne Bookshop staff. Application forms can be obtained online www.nteu.org.au/join, or by contacting the Branch Executive Officer email or 9214 8162. Fees are currently 1% of base salary. Sessional staff pay a flat rate of $55 per annum.
Member Benefits and Discounts
In addition to the industrial protection that union membership offers you, NTEU members are eligible for a range of discounts and benefits. See: http://www.nteu.org.au//join/benefits
Other Staff
Cleaning, security, trades and other "services" staff should contact the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union (LHMU) http://lhmu.org.au/
TAFE teaching staff should contact the Australian Education Union http://www.aeufederal.org.au/
NTEU Swinburne Branch Committee
|
Peter Harkness Vice President-Academic Christine Critchley
These representatives were elected by Swinburne NTEU members. Their term of office runs to 30 September 2008. | | Other Members: Ordinary Member (Academic Staff) Ordinary Member Ordinary Member Ordinary Member Mrinal Bhave Faculty of Life and Social Sciences mbhave@swin.edu.au 9214 5759 |
| NTEU Life Members | > Geoff Leonard > Vern Deeker |
Research Quality Framework
To our knowledge, the RQF will not continue in its current form. We will keep members posted as details come to hand.
Events
If you have anything you'd like included in Community Announcements, please contact the NTEU Vic Division at knorling@vic.nteu.org.au.All the details of recent Community Announcements are at: www.nteu.org.au/bd/vic/community_announcements. For this week:
Thursday
24 July
ADVANCE
THE ‘CLIMATE EMERGENCY’ MOVEMENT!
Thursday 24
July
THE TAIL WAGGING THE DOG?
ORAL HISTORY, DIGITAL STORYTELLING AND OLD MEDIA
Thursday
24 July
Friday 26
July
RHYTHMS FOR
REFUGEES
Saturday
26 July
VIVA
Saturday
26 July
LAUNCH OF
NEW
NTEU Fees - Taxation Statements for 2007-2008
Your NTEU membership fees are tax deductible!
1. Union Dues Tax Statements for the year ending June 2008 for CURRENT members who have paid their dues by Direct Debit/Credit Card or Invoice (APS) will not be mailed.
Statements will be available from the 1st July 2008 via the Website: www.nteu.org.au. Log in boxes are on the left hand side of the web page. Your log in is your NTEU member number (see membership card) and the password is your surname in capitals (unless you've changed the password previously).
Note: it's a good idea to change your password once logged on. To change your password, click on the View Details link under the Profile area of your Member Home page. Your password is located in the Personal Details section of your member profile. Remember that any changes you make may take up to one working day to be activated.
Lost membership cards should be reported to the NTEU Branch Office. It's important to have a current card, so that you can access all of those member discounts!
2. Members who have paid via Swinburne Payroll Deduction (PRD) for part of the year and then transferred to other payment methods. Union Due deductions for the period that they were on PRD will be on their PAYG Summary forms issued by the University.
Please ring /email the NTEU Swinburne Branch if you require any further advice: 9214 8162 or nteusw@vtown.com.au