BY SUE BULL

GEELONG -- Union leaders have described as a great success a strike by Deakin University staff, who walked off the job on April 5 to protest against stalled enterprise bargaining negotiations.

Michael Pegg, Victorian assistant secretary of the National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU), said he was “very happy at the strong and solid support from both staff and students”.

All five university campuses -- Waurn Ponds and Waterfront in Geelong, Warrnambool, Burwood and Rusden -- held spirited picket lines, involving not only staff but also students, members of the community and other unionists, including Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union members.

At Waurn Ponds and Burwood it is likely that 90% of staff and students stayed away. All the libraries were closed, for the first time ever, and only a small number of classes went ahead.

Student associations gave strong support to the strike, as they believe that university staff are overworked, receive low pay and are poorly resourced, which impacts upon the quality of education provided to students.

According to Pegg, the union's request for a 19% pay increase over the next three years has been met with a management offer of only 8%. NTEU members are prepared to negotiate the level of the pay rise, provided job security is improved and current superannuation arrangements stay in place.

Deakin University won the title “University of the Year” in 1999. It was also ranked the sixth most profitable university in Australia and New Zealand in 1998 by Business Review Weekly.

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