Following agreement late last year between the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and Edith Cowan University, new collective agreements have been settled for academic and general staff.

Important features of the new agreements include:

• A 17% pay rise (18.3% compounded) by June 2012.
• Improved rights and pay for casuals.
• Improved superannuation benefits for casual and fixed-term staff.
• Improved employment opportunities for members of the Indigenous community.
• Improved conditions for contract research staff.
• Improved job security by restrictions on the use of fixed-term contracts.
• Strengthened reclassification procedures for general staff.
• Restoration of union rights.

Although settled and signed by the parties, the new agreements are currently with Fair Work Australia awaiting certification. Once this formality is completed, the new agreements will be available to members on the NTEU ECU website: http://www.nteu.org.au//bd/ecu

NTEU ECU Branch President, Dr Alan Needham, said the successful bargaining outcomes were a result of a constructive approach being taken to the negotiations by all parties.  He thanked the NTEU bargaining team which included Geoff Lummis and Judy McCulloch, staff-elected members Ute Mueller and Ian Bennett, and members of the ECU Branch for their strong support.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) will recommend Union Collective Agreements to its members at Edith Cowan University that will provide the following:

• A 17% pay rise (18.3% compounded) by June 2012
• Improved rights and pay for casuals
• Improved superannuation benefits for casual and fixed-term staff
• Improved employment opportunities for members of the Indigenous community
• Improved conditions for contract research staff
• Improved job security by restrictions on the use of fixed-term contracts
• Strengthened reclassification procedures for general staff
• Restoration of union rights

“We are proud of what we have achieved with these agreements,” Dr Geoff Lummis, NTEU Acting ECU Branch President said today. “The NTEU and ECU Management have worked together to deliver significant benefits to staff.”

The agreements will see restoration of employment standards lost in 2005 when the Howard Government legislated for industry specific restrictions on union activity and collective bargaining.

WA Division Secretary Dr Lyn Bloom noted that “These agreements demonstrate that the NTEU can work together with University Managements to deliver good outcomes for both the University and its staff and students”. Dr Bloom called on the Managements at Curtin and Murdoch universities to follow suit and deliver fair and equitable new collective agreements at those institutions. “The NTEU is about preserving high quality educational outcomes for students and this can only be achieved by university staff having fair and equitable pay and working conditions”.

For further information contact:

Dr Geoff Lummis, Acting President, Edith Cowan University Branch: 0410 032 563

Dr Lyn Bloom, WA Division Secretary: 0417 930 113

After nearly 12 months of bargaining, agreement has been reached on almost all NTEU and Management claims at ECU.

Highlights of the new draft agreements include:

• Improvements in superannuation for most sessional and contract staff.
• Restoration of the role of the NTEU in representing staff and engaging in change management processes.
• Formal limitations on the use of fixed term contracts.
• Better job security for staff employed on research grants.
• Restoration of most union rights and resources lost under the previous federal government.
• Restoration of NTEU representatives on university committees.
• Improvements in reclassification procedures for general staff.
• Improvements to long-service leave for academic staff.
• An increase in casual loading rates from 23% to 25%.
• An improved regime of payments for marking by casual staff.
• Allocation of appropriate rates of pay for all activities required of casual staff.
• A 13% pay increase over the period 2009-2012.