NTEU WILL URGE UNIVERSITY OF BALLARAT STAFF TO REJECT AWA
MEDIA RELEASE
14 December 2005
The University of Ballarat ’s decision to offer an AWA to general staff today is unnecessary and punitive, and the NTEU will recommend that staff reject it, NTEU Victorian Division Secretary Matthew McGowan said today.
“Staff should be paid the back pay that was previously offered as a reward for their efforts over the last two and half years in making the University of Ballarat one of Australia’s top 10 universities.”
“They should not have to trade off important conditions of employment to receive the back pay or future pay rises, which is what the AWA seeks to do.”
“The AWA offered to general staff today is in fact worse than the agreement that was rejected by a staff ballot in November,” Mr McGowan said.
“The AWA removes even more protections for staff, with any reference to position descriptions or reclassification processes disappearing from the AWA altogether. This effectively means that management could have staff at any level doing anything, without any reference to competency or workload controls.”
Mr McGowan said that the University’s offer makes a mockery of the government’s rhetoric about AWAs being necessary to tailor individual employment arrangements.
“The Vice-Chancellor is offering a standard AWA, without any variation, to all general staff. It’s the previously rejected enterprise agreement with another name.”
“The University is effectively seeking to strip away staff rights to bargain collectively. This is another example of University of Ballarat staff being treated with contempt, to satisfy a Vice-Chancellor on an ideological crusade.”
For further information and comment:
Matthew McGowan, NTEU Victorian Division Secretary 0417 054 110