An increasing number of employers are asking themselves why they should have to abide by the terms of an Enterprise Agreement with their workers and unions, when it would cost less money if they didn't. Many have come to the conclusion that they should simply escape the obligations of their agreements.
National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU)
Staff at James Cook University in northern Queensland 鈥 at least half of whom are employed casually, and often infrequently 鈥 have rejected a management proposal for an enterprise agreement at the university. Of the 54% of staff who voted, 58% voted against the proposal in the non-union ballot held over September 13鈥15.
National Tertiary Education Union members mobilised in the brief one-week consultation and balloting period to secure a vote nearly three times their own numbers.
Indigenous students protested at the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale on September 12 after UNE management failed to adequately address their concerns and made decisions without consulting them.
Chanting 鈥淎bout us without us 鈥 Tell us why do you doubt us鈥, Indigenous students delivered their demands to UNE鈥檚 senior management at the Oorala Aboriginal Centre.
On September 13, National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members took strike action against Sydney University management鈥檚 refusal to negotiate a pay rise, shift casual staff to full-time or guarantee jobs in an amalgamation 鈥楽trategic Plan鈥 push, which has seen the destruction of Sydney College of the Arts.
Less than a week after federal education minister Simon Birmingham urged universities to follow the example of Murdoch University in West Australia in terminating its enterprise agreement (EA), vice chancellors at another two universities launched actions designed to undermine staff unions and collective bargaining.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said the Fair Work Commission鈥檚 decision on August 29 to agree to terminate Murdoch University鈥檚 enterprise agreement (EA), which covers more than 3000 staff, is extremely disappointing but not unexpected.
The test for terminating an agreement is very low. The agreement must be past its expiry date, negotiations for a replacement agreement must have been unsuccessful, termination must not be against the public interest and it must be considered 鈥渁ppropriate鈥 to do so.
Members and supporters of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) rallied on July 4 outside the WA Fair Work Commission (FWC) in protest against Murdoch University鈥檚 application to terminate the union鈥檚 enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA).
Members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and students held a protest outside Sydney University's Student Centre on May 3.聽
The demonstration was held in the context of the current round of enterprise bargaining (EB), in which union members are campaigning for improved job security and better conditions for permanent and casual staff. Perhaps nowhere in the university are these issues more serious than in the Student Centre.聽
Friends of Victoria University and National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) organised a protest outside the university鈥檚 Flinders Street campus during a Victoria University (VU) council meeting on March 14.
The protest was in response to plans by VU鈥檚 management to sack 115 academic staff affecting undergraduate courses in the creative industries, marketing, communication, and professional and creative writing. Six post-graduate courses in communication and education will also be affected.
President of the University of Sydney branch of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) Kurt Iveson spoke to 91自拍论坛 Weekly鈥檚 Rachel Evans about the university鈥檚 鈥渟pill and fill鈥 tactic.
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What is happening to science administration staff? Have 110 staff been sacked?
Sydney University has said it will not shut down the Sydney College of the Arts at Callan Park for at least two years and students will continue to study at the historic Kirkbride campus until the end of 2018.
The university has planned to close the art school since 2015.
Its latest proposal is to move the art school to the Old Teacher's College, on the Camperdown campus, by early 2019.
No students were accepted for the bachelor of visual arts this year.
The Western Australian Division of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) released this statement on December 9.
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In a move unprecedented in the Higher Education sector Murdoch University management have applied to the Fair Work Commission to terminate the enterprise agreement covering academic and general staff at the University.
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