BY KERRY VERNON

BRISBANE — University of Queensland (UQ) academics, members of the National Tertiary Education Industry Union, will take industrial action from September 25 over the university's decision not to renew the employment contract of their union branch president, George Lafferty.

Lafferty has spoken out against the introduction of full-fee domestic university places. He was told last year that his five-year contract would be renewed when it expired this year. He became NTEU UQ branch president in July. On September 10, he received a “notice of termination of contract”.

NTEU Queensland secretary Howard Guille said Lafferty's work performance has not been called into question and he was promoted to associate professor from senior lecturer last year.

Lafferty is also a member of the university senate and the academic board. Lafferty had been paid a high loading to keep him at the university. Recently, Lafferty's teaching hours were reduced so that he could take up the job of undergraduate coordinator.

At a September 19 union meeting, Lafferty said UQ was attempting to silence opposition to the introduction of full-fee domestic university places by attacking the union's role in the university's administration.

Academic union members in Canada, the US, Britain and New Zealand will also boycott UQ management.

From Green Left Weekly, September 25, 2002.
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