Time for Wollongong to face the music
8 October 2001
The NTEU released a public letter today calling on the University to settle the long-running dispute over its failure to honour the University of Wollongong Enterprise Agreement and reinstate sacked academic Ted Steele.
NTEU Members meeting at the University today also called on the Vice-Chancellor to stop stalling and to come to the table and accept their responsibility to resolve this dispute.
"It is now nine months after Dr Steele's dismissal and 8 weeks after the University lost a case in the Federal Court. It is shameful that the Vice-Chancellor is refusing to resolve what is a critical issue for all academics at the University and an unjust personal situation for Dr Steele", said NTEU National President Dr Carolyn Allport .
Members at the meeting also resolved to take the issue to the University Council that meets on October 19th, and has distributed copies of the public letter to all Council members and the NSW Minister for Education.
"The University has lost a case in the Federal Court, been criticised in the Senate Inquiry into Higher Education and has been widely criticised by academics and civil libertarians in Australia and internationally," said Dr Allport. "Now is the time for the University to see sense and settle this dispute by reinstating Dr Steele."
Last week's Senate Committee Report on the state of our universities described Professor Sutton's summary dismissal of Dr Steele as 'a breakdown in internal governance processes.' The Committee also cited the Federal Court's findings in support of this view. It should be clear to the University that this level of public censure is unacceptable. 'We sincerely hope that the University Council will recognise that management's intransigent position cannot be sustained in the face of a clear Federal Court decision, growing staff uncertainty and public shaming. It's time to put personal vendettas aside and act in the best interests of the University. We call on the University to agree to a settlement without delay,' Dr Allport concluded.
A copy of the resolution endorsed unanimously by members at Wollongong can be obtained from Wollongong Branch President Ron Perrin (ron_perrin@uow.edu.au).