Our Universities Matter

10,000 University Staff Take Action in Victoria

More than ten thousand university professionals at five Victorian universities stopped work yesterday in support of their enterprise bargaining claim for improvements which will redress the deterioration in working conditions within the sector during recent years and enable quality education and research outcomes.

National Tertiary Education Union members at the five universities, University of Melbourne, Monash University, Deakin University, RMIT University and Swinburne University, together with members at Hawthorn Learning, took part in the 24 hr stoppage in support of their campaign for manageable workloads, increased job security, a fair wages deal and other improvements in conditions.

More than 1200 university professionals joined an NTEU protest rally in Melbourne’s city centre during the industrial action; the first stoppage in support of the bargaining claim after nearly 12 months of negotiations. 

NTEU Victorian Division Secretary, Matthew McGowan, told the rally: “University management seem to have taken to heart the lessons of the Howard Government… and staff don’t seem to matter any more.  Universities need to show respect to their staff.

“There are some significant issues that are damaging the sector.  Proper payment of casuals is about old-fashioned justice.  Some casuals are paid less than they would earn in a supermarket stacking shelves and we need to fix that now.  University management needs to settle on terms that are fair and reasonable and that will also ensure a quality education for students,” Mr McGowan said.

Professor Verity Burgmann, University of Melbourne, School of Political and Social Sciences, also addressed the rally and told those assembled: “I have been an academic for over three decades, I used to like my job but not the last few years. There has been a generally downward deterioration in our working conditions over these decades, at every level of the academic hierarchy, and it has now reached crisis point.”

Professor Burgmann said a number of major factors had impacted on working conditions including a significant increase in undergraduate, honours and postgraduate students; job losses among academic and support staff and increased administrative functions and reporting requirements. In addition, Professor Burgmann said there was a lack of consultation regarding major changes within universities and “staff don’t feel valued and respected”.

The NTEU Victorian Division has been negotiating for up to a year to reach a new collective agreement with each institution and the failure of management to offer a fair deal, together with the recent stalling of negotiations, has begun to impact significantly on staff morale.  

Key bargaining issues advocated by NTEU are:

• Manageable workloads
• Increased teaching and support resources
• Improved security and conditions for the most vulnerable employees, including casual and research staff
• Payment for student marking responsibilities for casual staff
• An annual wage rise of just over six per cent, during the next three years

“It is time for management to invest in quality education outcomes by ensuring improved staff:student ratios, more resources, improved conditions and a reduction in the casualisation of the sector through improved conditions and more secure jobs for casual staff,” Mr McGowan said.

For more information visit www.universitybargaining.com.au

For more information contact: Mandy Frostick, media relations, tel 0419 546 245