University of Tasmania general staff vote for NTEU

By Dave Abbott

HOBART -- General staff at the University of Tasmania recently voted overwhelmingly for a greater choice of union membership.

A group of general staff organised a secret ballot which was independently counted and scrutinised. Of the 39% of staff who responded, 95% voted for the choice to join any of the Community and Public Sector Union, the Health Services Union of Australia or the National Tertiary Education and Industry Union.

In answer to the question, “If you had the choice, which union would you choose to be a member of?”, 66% voted NTEU, 17% CPSU, 7% HSUA and 10% none of the above.

We organised the ballot because we believe the NTEU is the most effective and appropriate union for all staff working in higher education. The existing general staff unions at the University of Tasmania are strong on issues in the state public and health sectors, but not in higher education.

We've always been told that the NTEU is an “academics' union”, but in fact a third of the membership across the country are general staff.

Universities now see themselves largely as businesses. There are many common interests between general and academic staff in this business culture; general staff must have the very best representation available to maintain their jobs and standard of living.

Seven of the 10 staff who organised the ballot were members of the CPSU. Six have now been expelled for “misconduct”; the seventh resigned.

[Dave Abbott is an administrative officer at the University of Tasmania.]

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