Over fifty Swinburne staff members attended a fundraising morning tea for the victims of the Haiti earthquake disaster, including the Vice Chancellor. Over $1000 was raised at the morning tea, which will be donated to APHEDA Union Aid Abroad – the Australian union movement’s overseas aid organisation.

The morning tea was a project of the NTEU’s Union Summer intern – who helped organise the event. Union Summer is a program run by the Victorian Trades Hall Council and the Young Unionists Network, and interns young unionists with a union for three weeks. Intern Robin Casselmalm helped the NTEU organisers and staff with the fundraiser and is pictured on the far left above.

You can also view this picture on TwitPic and share it using Twitter.

VU Management Revisits Workchoices

Management at Victoria University are in the process of breaching agreements on workloads, said Dr Jamie Doughney, Victorian President of the National Tertiary Education Union today.

“Victoria University management are using sleight of hand to unilaterally impose higher workloads on fewer academic staff. This means more threats to jobs and higher student-staff ratios,” Dr Doughney said.

“Last year, staff at Victoria University voted in good faith for a new collective agreement. That agreement between the NTEU and Victoria University said there would be no change to existing workloads unless agreed jointly between the union and management.

“The holiday season has caused a technical delay in Fair Work Australia approving the new agreement. There is a short time before the new agreement becomes technically binding, but it is certainly morally binding,” he said.

“The University is relying on relics from the Howard-Government imposed collective agreement from several years ago that technically is still in place until the new agreement comes into effect,” said Dr Doughney.

Dr Doughney continued: “To use a technical delay and the annual leave period to sneak through changes is bad faith. It also means that management with malice aforethought will breach the Heads of Agreement, signed officially by the University last year.”

“No changes means no changes, unless agreed on jointly by the union and management. We just want fair negotiation, without a Howard-Government gun pointed at our heads,” said Dr Doughney.

The NTEU has created a website to raise awareness about this issue with staff, students and the community: www.vufacts.org.

For further information contact:

Alex White, Communications and Campaigns Officer

Email: awhite@vic.nteu.org.au,

Best wishes for the festive season

From the NTEU Victorian Division

The officers and members of the Victorian Division of the National Tertiary Education Union hope that you and your loved ones enjoy a safe and happy festive season, and share a fruitful 2010.

Like many in our community, we at the NTEU will take some time to contemplate what we can do to help the disadvantaged in the community and around the world.