Following the resolution of the NTEU General Meeting held on April 29^th, the Newcastle Branch Committee was directed to prepare for an industrial campaign including a secret ballot of members for protected industrial action to pursue our bargaining claims.

The Branch has now been successful in its application for a ballot of members. The ballot will open on Monday 2^nd August and close on Thursday 12^th August. 

The Australian Electoral Commission will conduct the ballot and send your ballot paper with ballot questions to your home address next week.

Please ensure you post your vote by Tuesday 10th August at the latest.

Voting ‘YES’ in the ballot does not lead automatically to industrial action but is a serious step towards it.  It is now more than a year since our University of Newcastle enterprise agreements expired. While progress has been made on a number of areas of the NTEU claim, there are still a number of key outstanding issues under serious negotiation. The purpose of the proposed industrial action is, if necessary, to put pressure on the University of Newcastle management to finalise collective agreements that improve areas such as workload regulation and provide for a competitive and reasonable pay rise.

More information on the ballot will be sent to members next week. 

If you would like to assist the Branch with campaign activities or you require further information at this stage contact the NTEU Newcastle Branch Office on 49216870 or email newcastle@nteu.org.au.

You can also find more bargaining update information at our webpage https://www.nteu.org.au/newcastle/localissues.

 KEY OUTSTANDING ISSUES STILL UNDER SERIOUS NEGOTIATION.

Negotiations between the NTEU and University Management for new Academic, Teachers and General Staff Agreements have been ongoing since August last year. The negotiation process for new enterprise agreements is a means of achieving a more democratic, fairer and sustainable workplace.  Progress has been made on a number of key areas of the NTEU claim including improvements to workload regulation for general and teaching staff; restoration of Union representation and consultation rights in the agreements; improvements to the managing change processes and intellectual freedom protections.

However, there are still a number of key outstanding issues still under serious negotiation. In particular, improvements to academic workloads; improvements to employment conditions for casuals; limits on the use of casual and fixed term appointments; and a reasonable, competitive pay increase for all staff.  

The University paid an administrative increase to staff of 1.5% in March this year. This is the only pay increase University of Newcastle staff have had since May 2009 and is well short of the NTEU wage claim of 20% over three years.

The NTEU is committed to bargaining in good faith to achieve a swift resolution to negotiations.  Nevertheless, we will notbe pressured by management into settling on Agreements that fall short of what the staff at UoN deserve. Our bargaining claims may need to be pursued through a protected industrial action campaign in the near future.

The NTEU Bargaining team will be bargaining with management again this week and a more detailed update for members will be provided after these negotiations.

COME ALONG TO AN IMPORTANT NTEU MEETING- FRIDAY 16^th July, 2010 @ 12noon.

An important bargaining update meeting and information on the NTEU Protected Industrial Action Ballot will be held for members next week. All delegates, members new and old & workplace contacts are invited to attend to help support the finalisation of the bargaining campaign.  

DATE AND TIME: Friday 16^thJULY, 2010, 12noon

WHERE: SRLT1 (Social Sciences Building, Callaghan Campus)

In a landmark outcome for Macquarie University staff, NTEU has successfully claimed and secured access to flexible working arrangements as part of your new enterprise Agreement.

The claim widens the National Employment Standard (NES) provisions which currently enables staff with children under school age to seek flexible work arrangements. Under the NES, these requests can only be refused on reasonable business grounds.

Under the NTEU proposal which has now been agreed by University Management, any staff member with carer responsibilities (irrespective of whether they have under school age children or not) can make a request for flexible work arrangements, which could include but is not limited to: a decrease in the number of hours of work, more flexible and variable patterns of work, changes in start and finishing times, job sharing etc. As with the NES, these requests can only be refused on “reasonable” business grounds.

Detailed written reasons must be provided by Management for any failed application to flexible work and significantly, these provisions will be subject to the dispute settling provisions of our new Agreement.

Importantly, this claim means that people who are responsible for elder care, care of people with disabilities, care for pre and school age children of any age, will be better able to organise their working lives at Macquarie.

“This is a really positive outcome for this round of enterprise bargaining” says NTEU negotiator, Agnes Bosanquet from the Teaching and Development Unit.

“Although some positive progress is now being made, Management has continued to put up road blocks in relation to some significant NTEU bargaining claims which are designed to improve and reform the Macquarie workplace” .

“However, in relation to flexible work, Management has been prepared to move and to build on the family friendly initiatives such as 26 weeks paid parental leave already negotiated in past agreements by the NTEU”

 “This provision will open up possibilities for elder and other forms of care which is critical to an ageing workforce. This provision goes some way to improving the work life balance for so many University employees”

Below is a copy of the draft claim on flexible work:

Draft – Without Prejudice – MQ DRAFT 1 July 2010

Flexible Work V3

1.      Staff Members with caring responsibilities may make a request to move to a flexible work arrangement for up to three years (or longer by agreement between the staff member and their supervisor).

2.      Staff Members, who wish to access flexible work arrangements, will make written application to their supervisor, setting out the nature of flexibility required and the proposed period of time the arrangement will be in place. Flexible work arrangements may include temporary transfer to part time employment; job sharing; accessing the University’s Variable Working Hours Scheme; and alteration of start or finish times.

3.      The University may refuse an application for flexible work arrangements on reasonable business grounds. If the application is refused the University must provide detailed reasons in writing to the staff member.

4.      In addition to any other rights in this Agreement, if an application for flexible work arrangement is refused the staff member may make further application where circumstances have changed, or twelve months from the date of the initial application.