Important Information for all Macquarie Staff, Converting Fixed Term Staff to Continuing Roles.
If you read no other correspondence this year from the NTEU, you must read this one.
Dear Members and Non Members,
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) believes Macquarie University has failed to properly apply the fixed term contract provisions of your new enterprise agreements (Academic and Professional staff). These provisions place a number of restrictions on how fixed term employment is currently utilised at the university. In contravention of these restrictions, the University Management have failed to convert staff who no longer meet the fixed term restrictions of your new agreements. This means that a number of you may not be properly employed and are therefore being denied your right to the job security and other entitlements enjoyed by permanent staff.
This situation has arisen because University Management failed to negotiate transitional arrangements in the recent round of bargaining. These arrangements would have allowed them to continue fixed term contracts made under the old enterprise agreements which were not compliant with the new restrictions. We say that their failure to do this means that they must now convert the affected staff to permanent roles.
In order to progress the conversion of these contracts, the NTEU now needs to know if you are on a Fixed Term Contract - whether you are an NTEU member or not - and if it was signed prior to the new agreements coming into force. We are also wanting to view contracts signed under the new agreements to ensure that they are compliant.
The NTEU requests all information be sent to Sean O'Brien nteu@mq.edu.au from both Members and Non Members. Any information supplied will be treated strictly confidentially unless and until you give us permission to release any identifying details to management.
Important note: Management is not able to unilaterally terminate any contract that does not comply. This would constitute a breach of the general workplace protection provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009.
For Non-Members of the NTEU:
If you want to be a part of this action and be represented in a claim for conversion, you must join the NTEU by the end of April, or we will be unable to guarantee you assistance on this issue.
Members: You need to spread this message far and wide because our information tells us this will potentially affect many staff at Macquarie. We need to call on all staff not to delay but to take a stand on this now, as our collective strength gives us a powerful advantage in negotiations around this issue. Make no mistake, this has the potential to be a major issue for Macquarie Management. If they want to resolve it, they will have to negotiate with the NTEU.
Also please read the attached dispute letter sent to the Director of Human Resources yesterday. I have also enclosed a fact sheet on fixed term employment changes for your information - this information was originally distributed to Academics but remains relevant to Professional Staff.
In solidarity
Cathy Rytmeister
President
NTEU Macquarie Branch
Post a comment
Branch Contacts
Branch Office
Room 412 Seddon Bdg (82D) St Lucia Campus
University of Queensland
Phone: 07 3365 2538
Fax: 07 3365 2949
uq@nteu.org.au
http://www.nteu.org.au/uq
Andrew Bonnell
Branch President
a.bonnell@uq.edu.au
Lachlan Hurse
Branch Organiser
lhurse@nteu.org.au
Comments
There are no comments. Be the first to have your say!