Union win at Macquarie University

Union win at Macquarie University

By Daniel Jardine

SYDNEY — At Macquarie University, the National Tertiary Education Industry Union and management have agreed to sign a "heads of agreement" to cover wages and conditions for academic and general staff. The proposal was accepted by an NTEU membership meeting on December 1.

The main points of the agreement are: a sign-on payment of $500 to all staff and pay increments of 3% in September 2000, 4% in September 2001 and 4% plus $500 in September 2002 (when the agreement expires in March 2003, pay levels will be the same as those at Sydney University); a management commitment that there will be no reduction in staff levels; no loss of entitlements; and current award conditions carried over, including existing superannuation arrangements.

The agreement, and recent agreements at Newcastle University and the Victorian University of Technology, are significant victories for the NTEU and should put further pressure on other university managements to offer reasonable pay and conditions to their staff.

Bans on the processing of examination results are to be put in place at the Australian National University, the University of Wollongong and the University of NSW. Since staff imposing these bans will be removed from the payroll, the NTEU will be providing hardship payments to those members. Union members around the country will also provide financial support.

From GLW issue 388