Back to Curtin University of Technology
No pay rise until March - what's the hurry?
Bargaining Update
The NTEU Bargaining team continues to meet with the University Management on a six hour- twice weekly basis. At Tuesday’s, meeting, NTEU National Vice President, General Staff, Gabe Gooding presented the key General Staff Career Progression claims to Management and explained their significance to General Staff at Curtin. Members with specific expertise will be attending future meetings on your behalf.
Today’s meeting for Academic issues was cancelled at Management’s request.
Management’s response at the table to date has been disappointing. Whilst they listen to our claims as required, their response to significant matters in our claim, such as fair recognition of general staff work, equitable access to staff development and genuine career progression for general staff is that they see no need to include such matters in the Agreement, even on the issues that they are prepared to acknowledge require attention.
It is interesting to note that some of the Area Managers being invited to the table, as part of the Management Bargaining team, have been open and receptive to the discussions about how the concerns of both parties can be addressed and solutions found, but this does not seem to be translating into a shift in Management’s position on any issue.
It is the Union’s view that general staff conditions are too important to be rushed, and we have repeatedly sought clarification about why Management needs to hurry through an Agreement on General staff conditions (particularly given that they have stated there will be no pay rise until March 2013). The response to date has been that the University Management have a large agenda for change in the way the University carries out its business, “we need to become more agile” and they cannot achieve this whilst Bargaining is occurring. Members can of course decode this as they see fit, but it is the NTEU Bargaining team’s view that University management is impatient to drive through an agreement which will immediately allow for the conversion of ongoing positions into short time fixed term contracts which can be shed between 2015 and 2019 (Half cohort period) never to be restored. The impact of this will be further intensification and increases in workloads for remaining staff, reduced job security overall and a further decline in good will between Management and staff.
Jan Sinclair-Jones
President
NTEU Curtin Branch
Comments
There are no comments. Be the first to have your say!