17 February 2023
Earlier this week, the NTEU bargaining team met with management for the final session in our ‘run through’ of the two competing draft Enterprise Agreements. We had members at the table talking about some of our gender equity claims, including equity on selection panels, job sharing, paid lactation breaks, paid family and domestic violence leave, sexual harassment and assault claim processes and improved carer’s leave entitlements.
On expanding access to carer’s leave, one member made the point that the union’s claim, if accepted, would give employees - including casuals - the ability to care for people we love when we need to.’
On job sharing, the University bargaining team asked another NTEU member if the University hadn’t already normalised job sharing, to which our member responded, ‘Is anyone in the Workplace Relations team job sharing?’ Their response…crickets.
And then they said no, again…
The University has so far said no to almost every one of our claims. Management have frequently stated that this is because agreeing to change the enterprise agreement would increase the university’s risk and reduce managerial flexibility. The subtext: the status quo is working for management, and respect for staff is at the very bottom of their priority list.
We must get prepared for what’s next, ON OUR TERMS
The meeting ended with the University stating that they would get back to us in ‘a few weeks’ with a ‘suite of alternative proposals’ for the union to consider. The University’s bargaining team has been very fluid on timelines with us previously, so we expect that if there are proposals coming down the pipeline, they will be extensively delayed (as was the university’s initial response to our log of claims). In the meantime, we must get ready for OUR next steps.
This is a management that has presided over the largest scale wage theft known in our sector. They have shown over and over again that they can’t be trusted to improve our conditions without all of us coming together to force their hand.
Time is on management’s side
Everyday we let them drag out bargaining is another day we don’t have a real pay rise, limitations on rolling redundancies and restructures, an 80% target for secure jobs, more flexible WFH arrangements, better parental and carer’s leave and the reduction of crushing workloads.
Members’ Meeting called for this Wednesday, 22 February at 1pm (online only)
Register now to attend our upcoming online members’ meeting where you’ll hear from our bargaining team about where we are at the table, and from our strike committee about how and when we propose to move forward on winning an agreement that we deserve. Note, this meeting was originally scheduled to be held in person, but will now be online only.
