NTEU discusses enterprise bargaining, opposes war

BY DANIEL JARDINE

MELBOURNE — Meeting on October 3-6, the national council of the National
Tertiary Education Industry Union discussed its agenda for the fourth round
of enterprise bargaining with universities. The pattern bargaining approach
employed by the NTEU in previous rounds was reaffirmed.

The meeting agreed on a set of mandatory claims. Some of the items to
be included in the log of claims are:

• 
  a pay rise of 24% over 3 years to close the significant difference between
  salaries in the tertiary education sector and comparable areas;

continuation of the 17% employer superannuation contribution;

improved job security measures, such as reductions in the use of casuals;

reduced workloads for both academic and general staff, particularly in
light of the recent stress survey conducted in conjunction with the NTEU,
which showed a significant proportion of staff working excess hours; and

significant improvements in maternity leave provisions, with a minimum
claim of 14 weeks fully paid leave plus 38 weeks paid at 60% of salary.

The NTEU is also leading the way in representing its Indigenous members.
It has pursued, and will again in this round of enterprise bargaining,
Indigenous employment strategies and is developing similar strategies within
the union itself.

The NTEU goes into this round of bargaining in a much stronger position
than before, because of a decision by the Industrial Relations Commission
that gave the union coverage of general staff across Australia. This has
resulted in a considerable growth in membership.

The union committed itself to a national campaign to boost funding to
tertiary education. This campaign will tap sentiment for better tertiary
education in the broader community and may include national days of action
and state-wide stop work meetings.

The NTEU national council passed a motion calling on the Australian
government to intervene on behalf of Lesley McCulloch, an Australian resident
academic who has been detained by the Indonesian government in Aceh. A
motion in support of Victorian building workers' leader Martin Kingham,
who has been charged with being contempt of the royal commission into the
construction industry, was also passed.

The union also voted to oppose any war on Iraq and to participate in
union organised protests against the World Trade Organisation meeting of
trade ministers in Sydney in November.

From Green Left Weekly, October 16, 2002.

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