University rewarded for AWA push

BALLARAT — The Howard government has given the University of Ballarat a hefty reward for carrying out the most aggressive anti-union industrial relations' strategy in higher education. From 2005 to early 2006, the former vice-chancellor Kerry Cox tried to thwart unions' ability to represent campus staff, refusing to enter negotiations for an enterprise agreement after staff voted down two non-union agreements. Cox instead offered individual agreements (AWAs), saying it was the only way staff would get a pay rise and back pay.

While a collective agreement was recently settled after a strong National Tertiary Education Union campaign, the federal government has granted the university $3.1 million from the Workplace Productivity Program — a higher amount than any other university of Ballarat's size has received. NTEU University of Ballarat president Jeremy Smith told Green Left Weekly, "The bulk of the money — $2.2 million — is for 'operational and structural reform of workplace relations'. This is the government saying 'thanks' for being the only public university in Australia to push its preferred option of AWAs."

The court case around the AWAs continues and can be followed at <http://www.nteu.org.au//bd/ballarat>.

Sue Bull

From GLW issue 684