SECRET EMPLOYER BODY PLAN WILL SLASH STAFF CONDITIONS AND LEAD TO INDUSTRIAL CHAOS
September 5, 2005
The NTEU condemns a secret employer plan reported in today’s media to allow universities to unilaterally cancel industrial agreements that do not meet the Federal Government’s harsh workplace relations conditions, in return for accessing additional Commonwealth funding.
Under changes to be introduced into Federal Parliament this week, known as the Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements (HEWRRs), universities are being forced to incorporate harsh workplace relations conditions into their agreements or risk losing access to approximately $280 million in much needed public funding.
These conditions include eliminating caps on casual employment and forcing staff onto individual contracts known as Australian Workplace Agreements.
In a leaked letter reported in today’s Australian Financial Review, the Australian Higher Education Industry Association has requested the Federal Government to allow universities that fail to secure new agreements that comply with the Government’s requirements to qualify for funding by simply cancelling their existing agreement.
“Such a course of action would see university staff conditions slashed, including reductions in the minimum salary rates, and the loss of key entitlements in areas such as job security, academic freedom, staff workloads and parental leave,” said Grahame McCulloch, NTEU General Secretary.
“The cancellation of any agreement would also be certain to provoke major opposition from staff at any university which went down this path.”
“The NTEU has consistently opposed the HEWRRs as an unwarranted interference in university independence.”
“We have nonetheless been working very hard to ensure all universities receive the additional funding by negotiating new agreements that comply with the requirements.”
“While this has been a difficult process, the Union has made good progress with all those universities that have been willing to negotiate in good faith.”
“Now it is revealed that the AHEIA has been secretly lobbying the Government to allow universities to cancel their existing agreements as an alternative to negotiating new ones which comply with the HEWRRs.”
“The AHEIA should be defending university independence rather than using the HEWRRs as a pretext to slash staff entitlements.”
“The AHEIA’s plan is totally out of step with the opposition voiced to the Federal Government’s plan by much of the university sector, including the Australian Vice Chancellors’ Committee,” said McCulloch.
Information and Comment:
Grahame McCulloch, NTEU General Secretary: (03) 9254 1910
Ken Mcalpine, NTEU Senior Industrial Advisor: (03) 9254 1910