9 February 2023

Yesterday was our second meeting of this year with University of Melbourne management to continue a ‘run through’ of our draft enterprise agreement, tabled with management in September last year. We expect that this run through will be concluded no later than 22 February.

Members making a difference at the bargaining table

At this session, our academic freedom and gender affirmation leave clauses were discussed. We brought along two members who talked about their experiences working at the University and how the changes we’ve proposed would make a difference in their own and their colleagues' lives.

In calling for the University to agree to our proposed academic freedom clause, one member told management that ‘we need a clear path that acknowledges that academic freedom can only be determined by one’s peers in the discipline, and not by Uni management.’ 

On gender affirmation leave, another member spoke powerfully about their own experience as a Trans person and their colleagues about the University’s current gender affirmation policy and what it would mean for the dignity of Trans staff members to have enforceable rights to gender affirmation leave enshrined in our EBA. 

The University negotiators reiterated that their current position remains that employees are entitled to sufficient leave (including personal leave) to assist with gender affirmation. However, they agreed to further consider our proposed clause in light of our discussions.

We need to start considering the next steps we can take as a branch to win the working conditions we deserve

We believe management is taking too long negotiating with us. Going slow is in management’s interests because it increases the potential success of a non-union ballot, and gives them more time to ‘fix’ issues in policy (that they can change without staff or union agreement) that we want to fix in a (legally binding) Enterprise Agreement. 

We believe it’s time to put industrial action on the table

Yesterday, we notified management that we will be meeting later this month to discuss industrial action. It’s been 14 months of working under an expired contract with the University and more than 6 months since we delivered our member revised plan for better working condition at the University. It’s time to come together as a membership to decide what we need to do next to get the contract we deserve. 

Download and share a poster for our 22 February Members’ Meeting