***STOP PRESS*** Stop Work from 12:30pm on Tuesday 19 November 2013 in the Great Court at the University of Qld ***STOP PRESS***
From today NTEU members will be displaying messages in their workplaces and email signatures in support of their enterprise bargaining campaign. From next Monday 4 November there will be bans on overtime, bans on working nights and weekends, bans on unpaid work, bans on collecting statistics for the University and bans on School and Faculty meetings.
NTEU UQ Branch President Andrew Bonnell stated that progress in negotiations has been too slow. “Management has refused to engage in any meaningful way on any of our key claims,” said Associate Professor Bonnell. “We have been bargaining for almost twelve months and have little, if anything, to show for it,” he added.
NTEU UQ enterprise Bargaining Team Member, Dr Dave Callaghan said, “It’s like banging your head against a brick wall. We go in, they say ‘no’ and we leave. This is not what I thought enterprise bargaining would be like!” Dr Callaghan, who refused to give a lecture last Friday as part of the industrial action, added “My students completely understood why I was taking this action. They want their lecturers treated with respect, not disdain.”
Debra McKenzie, a Senior Admin Officer said, “UQ is ranked third in most university rankings, but professional staff salaries rank 23rd in the sector. That doesn’t seem right to me!”
Further industrial action, including strikes, are planned for the week beginning the 11th of November.
Media Comment:
Associate Professor Andrew Bonnell, NTEU UQ
Branch President: 0400 373 457.
Margaret Lee, NTEU Queensland Division Secretary: 0407 646 419.
Michael McNally, NTEU Industrial Officer: 0423 538 721.
Media Release: Staff Vote for Industrial Action at University of QLD
Posted 30 October 2013 by Michael Evans (NTEU National Office)
Rally and picnic in the Great Court from 12.30 pm
Bring a plate to share!
After 12 months of painfully slow Enterprise Bargaining negotiations, NTEU members at UQ have decided to take industrial action to secure:
• Career paths for Professional Staff
• Protection of TESOL Teacher workloads
• More permanent/continuing Academic Staff
• More Indigenous Staff
• Regulation of Academic teaching loads
• A decent salary increase
UQ management have been stalling on a new Enterprise Agreement. Management want:
• Less oversight of change management
• To reduce staff leave balances and entitlements
• Separate conditions for “Senior Staff”
• Increased workloads for TESOL Teachers.
Only the NTEU is taking industrial action to improve the working lives of all staff at UQ.