UWS NTEU MEMBERS MEETING

Date:   Thursday 8^th April 2010

Time:   12.00 – 2.00pm

Room:   EB.3.33 Conference Room

Location:   Parramatta Campus

Dear Members,

NTEU invites you to participate in a General Meeting of Members called to explain and discuss the Draft NTEU UWS Academic Staff Agreement. Following the terms of settlement reached on February 22nd, your NTEU bargaining team has been in intense negotiations on 12th, 18th, 22nd, 23rd and 29th March in efforts to resolve negotiations for your staff agreement. We believe we have all but resolved the final wording on all in-principle agreed clauses to date and made progress on the outstanding matters that we will bring to members for explanation and discussion.

This meeting is designed for members to participate in discussions with your NTEU bargaining team and National Secretary Grahame McCulloch on the Draft UWS Academic Staff Agreement.

This Draft UWS Academic Staff Agreement will be circulated to members on Thursday 1^st of April for your information prior to this meeting. We hope that this notification in advance can assist in your attendance. We have scheduled this across a two hour period to maximise the number of staff who can participate.

If you are unable to attend the meeting we strongly encourage you to submit comments, feedback and amendments to your local branch at: uws@nsw.nteu.org.au to ensure that your feedback can be presented at this meeting.

Tenure:

After nearly nine months of not supporting tenure in its current form, the management group agreed to reinstate these provisions in full.

Classification review:

Agreed in principle: An improvement overall in relation to assessment time and the basis for reclassification as codified in the agreement, access to appeal, and full inclusion of the classification standards in the Agreement.

Workloads:

Discussions are continuing on the professional staff clause.

For academic staff, 40/40/20 as a guide and recognition of a 1725 hours per annum cap have been agreed in principle.  Key sticking points are the NTEU claim that academic workload models should be developed at the academic unit (discipline or research centre) level, with ratification by the HoS, and the management proposal to remove the workload review process (currently the staff complaints process).  We have also been confronted with a new management claim proposing “teaching-mostly” appointments (60:20:20).

Casual Employment:

Minimal progress was made in addition to the already agreed (and now announced) 25% loading and 9% superannuation.  The sticking points are the inclusion of a %  cap on casual academic numbers, and the inclusion of comprehensive rates for marking and assessment.

ATSI employment:

Discussion is continuing in relation to a monitoring committee, commitment to a genuine increase in the employment of Aboriginal staff, and the establishment of a community network group.

Dispute resolution/Review Committees:

This has become a major area of disagreement.  Specifically of concern are the issues of nexus between the review committees process and dispute settling procedure, review committee membership and union visibility in both clauses.

Research Contracts:

The move towards a more secure form of employment for many research staff has been impeded by a late management objection based on changes to the way in which research infrastructure is funded. The NTEU will continue to pursue this matter and remains strongly committed to achieving more stable forms of employment for this cohort of staff.

Unsatisfactory performance:

Senior management continues to insist that failure to participate in PDR be defined as “unsatisfactory performance”. The NTEU rejects this notion. Management has indicated a preparedness to drop the claim if the NTEU will agree to a clause enabling termination of fixed term contract staff for unsatisfactory performance. We fail to see the connection and will approach each matter on its own merits and not as part of a horse trading exercise.

Despite Tim Sprague having been unavailable due to sickness, the second bargaining meeting proceeded for the year on Tuesday this week.

Progress was made on:

Managing change

It’s looking like agreement might be possible on a Managing Change clause that both management and the Unions can agree to, which mainly includes the right of Unions to be properly consulted on any impending change proposals, prior to a decision being reached. Our claim will also strengthen the right od staff to be provided with proper access about change proposals in order to make informed decisions in response to any proposal. 

Position Classification

The NTEU is primarily seeking to strengthen the appeals process for General Staff Position reclassification claims by way of an appeals committee comprised of some Union nominees.  Despite the management team stating problems it has with the make up of an appeals committee, we are getting very close to securing a stronger process for appeals.

MUCC (Consultative Committee)

The crux of the NTEU’s claim on this proposed committee is that the function of any such committee be not just to discuss workplace issues faced by staff at MQ, but to discuss issues with the intent of progressing solutions for the issues.  The NTEU’s position is that Union officials should be present with full rights.  Both Unions have put forward the position that the Chair of the Committee should be elected.

General staff career development

This clause is now agreed and settled. 

 Union representation

Negotiations continue on claims around Union representation, aimed at winning back much of the Union’s former rights around office space, time release for elected officials, access to staff inductions, payroll deductions cemented in the collective agreement, and more.

 The next bargaining meeting will be on March 11 to focus purely on Academic Workloads, with a view to expediting this claim.  We are waiting for confirmation on a further full-day bargaining meeting on March 18.