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Petition launched for Single Agreement
The NTEU is launching a petition for Curtin staff to sign in support of a single Enterprise Agreement during this round of bargaining. When General and Academic staff are united in a single agreement, the working conditions of both are better.
Show your support by signing the petition, and encourage your colleagues to do the same - One Staff, One Agreement!
Sign the petition here.
Why a Single Agreement?
The NTEU Curtin Branch has submitted a Log of Claims for a new Enterprise Agreement to University Management which includes a claim for a single Enterprise Agreement for all General and Academic Staff.
In bargaining meetings to date University Management has responded that it does not intend to have a Single Agreement and is of the view that there is no appetite for a Single Agreement among staff. This is despite the fact that 27 universities across Australia have Single Agreements for all staff and where these operate staff overwhelmingly support them. Where Single Agreements operate they have brought significant improvements in entitlements to General Staff.
The current Academic Staff Agreement contains 69 clauses and the General Staff Agreement contains 71 clauses, of which 59 are common to both. However, some conditions – particularly access to Review Committees for Redundancy, Performance and Conduct – are currently denied to General Staff despite the fact that we are all subject to the same processes, for example, allegations of a breach of the Code of Conduct.
It makes no sense for Curtin staff to work under separate Agreements when they share the vast majority of employment conditions and work towards the same broad purpose in the interests of the University.
A Single Agreement is far more efficient to negotiate, manage and operate, and yet Management rejects this approach. It is clear that University Management is determined to treat staff differently despite their shared working environment. At a time when they are entreating us all to work towards a shared Vision for the University, Management is seeking to impose conditions of employment which divide their employees.
The University’s current agenda of seeking a quick round of General Staff bargaining which will deliver a reduction in jobs, the right for Management to direct staff to take leave and increased disciplinary powers (all changes they are seeking for Academic Staff as well) seems to be based on a view that General Staff are a ‘pushover’ compared to their academic colleagues and that Academic Staff do not value their General Staff colleagues.
All Academic and General Staff are urged to sign the attached petition to demonstrate to University Management that Curtin staff know what we want: A Single Agreement for all Curtin Staff!
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Branch Contacts
Branch Office
Room 109 Building 4 Wagga Campus
Charles Sturt University
Phone: 02 6933 4463
csu@nteu.org.au
http://www.nteu.org.au/csu
Susan Wood
Branch President
swood@csu.edu.au
Bonny Campbell
Branch Organiser
bcampbell@nteu.org.au
Kevin Poynter
Branch Organiser
kpoynter@nteu.org.au
Comments
[ 0 ] Interesting proposal Leon. however a valid pole is one in which both sides put down the agruments so that the options are clear and all staff are informed about it. The NTEU can not do that for resons discussed perviously. The NTEU already got the appoval of its members at a democratically held meeting to which non members were invited - I was at the meeting and there were no objections to the proposal. Perhaps we are asking more of the NTEU than it can deliver! Only through the cooperation of the management, can total democracy prevail.
Like • Dislike •[ 0 ] I write this on behalf of a few people who have expressed this in Yammer:
Like • Dislike •Is there a petition to keep the agreements separate?
My question: You say the Uni didn't want a poll, then put up two petitions and you effectively have a poll? No?
[ +3 ] I maybe old fashioned, but I still believe that their is power in unity. If it was not, John Howard would have not tried so hard to introduce AWAs - that are still possible to be revived under a change in government. I am a bit suspicious of the management decision of the two agreements breaking from the past practices. The NTEU has championed the protection of the conditions of general staff and academics staff in the past. They have my full support now as well
Like • Dislike •