Bans on student results at UNSW and VU
Members will probably have seen media reports on enterprise bargaining negotiations at VU and UNSW, and in particular the current protected industrial action in the form of the withholding of student results.
| See at the end of this post how you can support your colleagues who have been stood down. |
VU
At Victoria University, the management has reneged on a Heads of Agreement document signed with the Union last year, and is specifically now proposing that there should be no pay rise at all in 2010.
This has understandably angered members, who are now supporting 7 'legends in their own lifetime' with large student enrolments, who have been stood down without pay for refusing to transmit first semester results.
Members at VU are determined not to allow the University to yet again renege on its previous agreements, and are demanding that the University immediately start negotiating in good faith for a new Agreement.
A first formal bargaining meeting will be held on 20 July.
UNSW
At the University of New South Wales (including at the Australian Defence Force Academy) approximately 80 members have been stood down without pay for withholding student results, after VC Fred Hilmer has indicated that he wishes to dispense with the existing Award safety net and have completely unregulated use of fixed term and casual employment.
He has also sought to reduce maternity leave entitlements for some staff, and unlike the other GO8 colleagues, has refused to accede to union claims for improved career paths for contract research staff. In demanding unfettered use of fixed term contracts, UNSW management is seeking to have an Agreement far inferior to those at all 22 Universities where the Union’s claims on this issue have been settled.
The VC has made it clear that he sees no particular need for a new Agreement, preferring to maintain the existing arrangements imposed by John Howard’s WorkChoices and Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements (HEWRRs).
At a meeting last Wednesday, members decided to continue with the bans. Nearly 1,300 students have joined Facebook pages (http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=136107366418179&ref=ts) supporting their staff who have been stood down, and a large student rally is planned in support of the staff on Tuesday 20th July.
How you can support your colleagues who have been stood down
Members who have been stood down without pay are receiving some support from the NTEU Defence Fund.
However, they need your support to ensure they are not significantly disadvantaged by the action they are taking on behalf of all NTEU members. Please consider making a donation now via the NTEU website: click here to donate.
Comments
[ -1 ] Michael, is that relevant to the fact that students are pretty much being taken out as collateral damage when the quarrel has little to do with them? Regardless of how few options you think you may have, you don't go around taking out by-standers to get your way, or it's pretty much the same as what the terrorists are doing... Holding back someone else's future is something you are taking far too lightly, though I do sympathize that you are fearful for your own. Best of luck to you, but please endorse more considerate methods.
Like • Dislike •[ 0 ] The withholding of marks has affected students negatively, and yet, despite this, the withholding of results has continued into WEEK 5 of semester, with no sign of relenting. Students are not being informed of the progress of the action, there are students who do not understand why there results have not been released, and there is little to no information being distributed to students on when they shall get there marks or why they are even being held. The NTEU needs to publicise the progress of their campaign, if there has been no progress to report, perhaps this is proof enough that they should desist holding students (in particular graduating students and students needing the marks for pre-requisite courses) ransom for the NTEU gain. The NTEU does not help students, the primary function of universities is to educate students, please stop holding students back, or at the very least communicate with students and keep them informed!
Like • Dislike •[ +1 ] I am currently working at VU as a casual. My fiancée is doing two subjects which are affected by the results ban and keeps asking me when she is going to get her results.... I am going to have to attend open day on my own tomorrow, and usually I wouldn't but the course I support is already struggling to get adequate student numbers and the last thing we need is to loose more potential students which could result in a dozen staff being made redundant due to a cancelled course, how does that sound? Did you think of people like us? You can see that I as a staff member, have already been affected by the bans in two ways ( and possibly 3 in the future) so I cant help but to think negatively about the NTEU at the moment, however I do hope you are successful in your plight, because it might mean that I go from casual, to full time in the future.
Like • Dislike •[ -4 ] John, can you suggest an alternative to withholding marks?
Like • Dislike •[ +1 ] Withholding results has been a real pain in the derrière. I'm enrolled in one subject at UNSW, a languages course, and have no idea whether my marks are good enough to justify continuing it in semester two. I'm so disillusioned that I'm considering bumming round in the subject til census date, and then dropping it for free tuition.
Like • Dislike •[ +4 ] Withholding student results is totally unacceptable. It effectively is holding their marks as ransom. It is lucky that many students are suppporting staff, however if this goes on for much longer, expect a backlash from students. This is completely and utterly ridiculous.
Like • Dislike •[ +3 ] Why withhold student exam results? Why punish the students directly like this? It is not the fault of the students that there will be no pay rise, so why attack the students? Most students have worked hard and should be able to know their results. Do you want students to withdraw from studying at these universities to get revenge on VU and UNSW?
Like • Dislike •[ +6 ] Why hasn't the union called a national strike over this attack on staff at UNSW. Calling for donations is not going to defeat draconian anti union measures being imposed. UNSW today, whose next?
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