The NTEU today urged Victoria University to heed Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s call to protect and support jobs. The call comes as Victoria University has rejected a union proposal seeking to settle the current disputes.
“The NTEU will be recommending to our members that industrial action recommence at Victoria University if the Vice Chancellor insists rejecting fair job security protection and reasonable workloads management,” said Matthew McGowan, NTEU Victorian Division Secretary.
He went on to say “On January 8 the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, called on unions and employers to put jobs first. Victoria University has a budget surplus, and is expecting further funding from the Federal Government. Yet, it continues to insist that forced redundancies remain on the agenda and they seem unwilling to settle a collective agreement. It is time they listened to the Government, to their communities, and to their staff.”
“The only responsible course would be for them to sit down and talk genuinely about the issues, including how to avoid job losses, not how to bring them on.”
“Students are just starting classes for 2009 and will be left with higher class sizes, less time with lecturers and tutors, and are staring down the barrel at course and subject cuts,” said Mr McGowan.
The NTEU claims that the University is refusing to negotiate reasonable job protections for staff, and fair workload management arrangements as part of their enterprise bargaining negotiations.
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