Victorian unis gear up for strike action

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is planning industrial action at most Victorian universities on May 21.

In response to management stalling on collective bargaining, the Victorian NTEU will run a campaign for respect at work for university staff.

Colourful brochures, red badges and stickers will publicise the campaign's key messages. Ballots will take place at many branches on whether to start industrial action.

The NTEU's bargaining claims include a 20% salary rise by 2011, improved job security, enforceable regulation of workload limits, an extensive Indigenous employment strategy, environmental provisions in the workplace, improved parental and carers leave and expanded union rights.

Victoria University branch is ready for action. Ballots of members to authorise industrial action will take place at RMIT, Swinburne, Deakin, Monash and Melbourne universities. There are plans to ballot members at La Trobe University too.

The University of Ballarat has a current collective agreement and will send a delegation to protest actions.

Plans for a public protest on May 21 include an afternoon rally in Melbourne.

For more information on the Respect at Work campaign visit http://www.universitybargaining.com.au.

From GLW issue 793