News briefs

University of Melbourne manoeuvres on wages

MELBOURNE — University of Melbourne management announced on June 9 that it would unilaterally grant a 2% pay increase to all staff as a "reward" for meeting previous revenue targets.

The National Tertiary Education Industry Union has been pursuing a 19% claim through long negotiations. The university has been demanding an enterprise agreement that links pay rises to performance goals.

Pacific islands disappear

TWO SMALL islands in the South Pacific have been inundated by the rising sea level, possibly due to the impact of global warming. Tebua Tarawa and Abanuea, part of Kiribati, were uninhabited but used by local fishers.

The South Pacific Regional Economic Program has warned that other islands in Kiribati and Tuvalu are in danger of disappearing as sea levels rise and that the coastlines of 29 atolls in the Marshall Islands are suffering erosion. The organisation also warns that sea levels are rising faster than predicted.

From GLW issue 366