James Vassilopoulos, Melbourne

Eighty members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) employed at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology decided on February 8 to continue work bans in pursuit of a new enterprise bargaining agreement.

Negotiations between the NTEU RMIT branch and the university's management have been going on for 18 months. Management is offering workers a 22% increase in pay over four-and-a-half years.

Jeanette Price, president of the NTEU RMIT branch, said that the union is demanding a 23% pay increase and a one-off $1000 payment that would help workers on a lower wage. The union is also seeking the satisfactory resolution of a number of conditions, including professional development, Indigenous employment, superannuation and casual employment.

The union wants an increase in the casual pay loading to 23%, conversion of casual jobs into permanent ones and a cap on the percentage of casual workers.

A number of speakers argued that the union should take the 22% being offered by RMIT management. The meeting voted in favour of the union motion to continue work bans, with just three voting against and three abstentions.

From Green Left Weekly, February 16, 2005.
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