UNIVERSITY STAFF TO DEBATE KEY INDUSTRIAL AND HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING ISSUES
October 2 2002
Representatives of nearly 26,000 academic and general staff from the universities across Australia will begin meeting in Melbourne on Thursday to discuss crucial industrial and funding issues facing the sector.
The NTEU’s 2002 National Council takes place at a crucial time for our universities. The Government’s review into higher education is deliberating major deregulation of the sector.
At the same time, a Productivity Commission report into the resourcing of tertiary education released earlier this week, confirms that spending on Australia’s universities is not keeping pace with our international competitors at the same time as Australian students and their families are being pressed to contribute a growing proportion of university funding.
National Council will take place on Saturday October 5 and Sunday October 6 at the Carlton Crest Hotel, 65 Queens Road Melbourne.
The Council is open to members of the media. A briefing for the media on the policies and directions coming out of the four days will be held on Sunday at the Carlton Crest Hotel at 12.15pm.
A two-day closed forum to decide the NTEU’s strategic directions on the upcoming enterprise bargaining round for the tertiary sector on Thursday October 3 and Friday October 4 will precede it.
Approximately 200 representatives from the NTEU will take part in the four-day event. Senior representatives of unions covering university staff in New Zealand and Denmark will also be present.
Among the key issues to be debated include:
· Responding to the Government’s higher education review and developing policies and campaigns to improve the quality and funding of university education;
· Nationally agreed directions on salaries and conditions for the fourth round of enterprise bargaining for the tertiary sector;
· Strategies to increase Indigenous employment in universities;
· Measures to tackle the growth of casual employment in the tertiary education sector.
For information and comment regarding NTEU Enterprise Bargaining Forum and National Council contact:
Andrew Nette, Policy and Research Coordinator: 0438 026277