NTEU WA Division | Community organisation

NTEU WA Division

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25.01.2022 Not just a history lesson. We should all come home safely.

24.01.2022 Dr Barnes, federal president of the National Tertiary Education Union, signals that the conditions of casual university staff will be a big issue in the enterprise bargaining round about to begin. In a weekend speech to the Industrial Relations Society of NSW she warned that 95 000 university staff are on casual contracts and that, it is normal for academics in these arrangements to subsist on only a few hundred dollars per week despite being constantly on-call and busy wit...h preparation, staff meetings and student emails, most of which goes unpaid and unacknowledged. This is not casual work, it is on-going work performed in perpetuity. This state of affairs is not acceptable and we will be aggressively pursuing significant increases in job security for our members in the current round of enterprise bargaining with universities, she said. Join your union: nteu.org.au Organise to win

24.01.2022 Murdoch University management wants to freeze staff wages making mass job losses cheaper. They've provided: No commitment to job security. No financial transparency to justify these measures. No cut to senior executive salaries.... Management's proposal will not only reduce your pay but also your colleagues, including the lowest-paid staff on campus. Staff shouldn’t pay for Murdoch’s mismanagement Find out more: nteu.info/murdochno Vote No in the staff ballot on 25-29 September Join your union: nteu.org.au/join

24.01.2022 While attacking staff pay and conditions with one hand...

23.01.2022 Universities should be different. They should not aim to emulate corporations, whose single objective the maximisation of profit ultimately excludes any social considerations other than those the law occasionally forces them to recognise.

22.01.2022 "The exorbitant salaries of senior executives is grotesque in the midst of a crisis where staff are being told that they must be the ones to sacrifice their working conditions, having already gone above and beyond to respond to COVID-19 and transitioning to online teaching to keep courses going," Dr Hallett said. "Staff workloads are at a breaking point and now they are being asked to lose their pay." Voting closed this morning at 10am. We are still waiting on the result...

22.01.2022 Critics within the university point to the Senate’s own governance principles which explicitly state that bad governance can lead to loss of high quality students and staff, reputational damage and loss of stakeholder confidence arguing those outcomes are evident. Murdoch recently appointed former University WA vice-chancellor Alan Robson and governance consultant Geoffrey Kiel who is also a former Notre Dame University deputy vice-chancellor to carry out an indepe...ndent review of its Senate’s governance practices. In a submission to the review the Murdoch branch of the National Tertiary Education Union raised concerns that Senate minutes and agenda papers were not publicly available. There is an overriding concern within staff at Murdoch University that the Senate operates secretly and without scrutiny, it said. The submission said staff believed there was a troubling culture where the Senate appears to operate as a rubber stamp for university management. A recent example is the university’s announcement to move away from on-campus lectures for all units with new teaching and learning modes, at short notice, the union’s submission said. As we understand it, this issue was not discussed at Academic Council and therefore creates a governance concern. Commenting on the responsibilities and obligations of Senators, the union noted that staff, students and the broader community had been horrified by the treatment of elected academic staff senate member Associate Professor Gerd Schröder-Turk. Murdoch University taking legal action against him for exercising his right to academic freedom has had a devastating impact upon staff, it said. Join your union and take back the university: nteu.org.au/join

22.01.2022 VC Eeva Leinonen tells staff that most of them did not vote for management’s proposed enterprise agreement variation. Of the 1819 who did, 73 per cent were against it.

21.01.2022 Discounts for members

21.01.2022 Sally McManus featured on ABC Perth Radio this morning - check the interview out at 17min52sec (including a plug for our event this afternoon: Ending Casualisation: NTEU WA Division Forum with Sally McManus )

20.01.2022 We have all been all shocked and saddened by the tragic incident at the building site on the Curtin University Bentley campus on 13 October 2020. We urge our members to attend this event on Tuesday next week calling on the WA parliament to pass new workplace health and safety laws including finally making industrial manslaughter an offence: www.facebook.com/events/360961691983892 We also encourage members to donate what they can to this fund to support the workers impact...ed and their families during this difficult time: shop.nteu.org.au/product/curtin-uni-workplace-fatality/ The NTEU National Tertiary Education Union National Executive passed the following motion yesterday: "Today we commemorate the disastrous collapse of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, at 11.50am on 15 October 1970 in which thirty-five construction workers were killed and another eighteen were injured. The subsequent Royal Commission found that there were major structural design issues from the company responsible, and an unusual method of construction undertaken by the company running the project. In the shadow of this anniversary we are tragically reminded that people are still being killed at work with an incident just days ago on a construction site at Curtin University resulting in a loss of life and injury to others. We send our sympathies to these families, our solidarity to our CFMEU WA colleagues and continue to pledge our support for our labour movement’s continuing efforts to ensure every worker returns home from work safely. We also urge the Western Australian parliament to pass the Work Health and Safety Bill 2019 currently before it to update WA’s woefully out-of-date laws and finally introduce an offence for industrial manslaughter for those whose negligence or wilful conduct leads to a workplace death."

20.01.2022 When higher education historians discuss the state of universities, they will point to COVID-19 as the catalyst that drew attention to an immoral employment practice and forced universities to reflect on the sectoral, governmental and institutional dynamics that facilitated incalculable theft from their casual teachers.because, like with any injustice, it doesn’t have to be this way.

20.01.2022 The ballot seeking Murdoch staff agreement to vary the terms of the Enterprise Agreement has been voted down with a No vote of 73%! The overwhelming successful rejection of Murdoch’s Senior Executive drive to attack staff pay and conditions tells the University that NTEU members are a united and powerful voice on this campus. This attack on staff pay and conditions by Murdoch’s Senior Executive came with no financial transparency to justify it nor a commitment to job security.... Since 2016, the total remuneration of the Vice-Chancellor has increased from approximately $585,000 to approximately $995,000, an increase of 70%. Over the same period, other University employees have received pay rises totalling up to around 6%. The Senior Executives receive annual bonuses in addition to their very generous pay packets. Staff do not. Senior Executives at other universities have taken temporary pay cuts. Murdoch executives have refused to do so. The exorbitant salaries of senior executives are grotesque in the midst of a crisis where staff are being told that they must be the ones to sacrifice their working conditions, having already gone above and beyond to respond to COVID-19. Staff workloads were already at a breaking point and then management came after staff pay. NTEU met twice with Murdoch management and they were unwilling to make any commitment to protect jobs in return for these sacrifices. They also refused to provide any transparency about their financial position stating that even the University Senate had not seen the financials and wouldn’t until October - after they had already attempted to vary the Enterprise Agreement. Where is the oversight of Senior Executive decisions from the Senate? This was an outrageous attack on staff pay and conditions and just the latest since the Senior Executive terminated the Murdoch Enterprise Agreement in 2017. The fight, however, is not yet over. Our campaign against job cuts and demanding transparency from the Murdoch Senior Executive will continue. A union is only as strong as its members. We are the only ones championing the protection of our jobs, pay, conditions, and decent funding for higher education. If you aren't already, we'd love for you to join us. www.nteu.org.au/join

19.01.2022 The premature and unnecessary step taken by Curtin University Management to press forward with its program of mass job cuts, paints a disappointing picture of disingenuous consultation and disregard to the constructive views offered up by staff and the Union to date. NTEU has formally notified a Dispute Find out more: nteu.info/curtinvr Join your union: nteu.org.au/join

18.01.2022 Insecure work and outsourcing Sound familiar? Stand in solidarity with our ETU WA Branch comrades next Thursday

18.01.2022 Happy NAIDOC week! This week we celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples & NTEU members.

17.01.2022 Murdoch Senior Executive are exploiting the vulnerability of their most insecure workers by offering them an inducement to vote against their and their colleagues’ best long-term interests. We don't fall for it. Find out more and vote no: nteu.info/murdochno

17.01.2022 NTEU members joined with comrades at the Fight for Life rally today calling for the the Work Health and Safety Bill 2019 and industrial manslaughter law reforms to be passed urgently! Listen to UnionsWA Secretary Meredith Hammat, CFMEU WA State Secretary Mick Buchan, and other speakers address the rally here: https://www.facebook.com/unionswa/... A minute of silence was observed to honour those who have been killed in workplace incidents. Every worker should return home from work safely. #StandUpSpeakOutComeHome

16.01.2022 Hi Murdoch University Exec, when are you going to release the results of the staff vote? CiVS said you've had it since 10am...Hi Murdoch University Exec, when are you going to release the results of the staff vote? CiVS said you've had it since 10am...

16.01.2022 Casual teachers will not have their contracts renewed next year and academics in STEM will have their positions made redundant or demoted to "teaching intensive" positions, which prohibits them from seeking research funding. The move has gutted staff and left the union worried. "One area of grave concern is the proposal that foundational units are to be taught by teaching-focused staff," National Tertiary Education Union WA secretary Catherine Moore said. This effectively c...reates a career dead-end for traditional academics as they would not receive any research allocation. Forcing staff to quit their research? Not ok. Join your union: nteu.org.au/join

14.01.2022 The legislation which will live or die on the vote of undecided senator Stirling Griff from Centre Alliance is designed to increase student places and guarantees indexation, but it also reduces the Government's share of funding. We need Senator Stirling Griff to be a champion for staff, students & higher ed #FundUniFairly #BlockTheBill SNAP ACTION TODAY at 10.30am WST... www.nteu.org.au/fundunifairly/snap_online_action See more

13.01.2022 "The university system in this country is dying. The government used the pandemic to destroy the places for critical conversations; and university management mostly rolled over. Mass redundancies, both voluntary and forced across the sector, have left big gaps in teaching staff. In some places that led to decisions to close down subjects, courses, departments. Right now, nearly every university is considering merging faculties." NTEU National Tertiary Education Union are the ...only ones standing up for better workplaces and a better future for our sector. Join your union: nteu.org.au/join Organise to win Bargain like our universities depend on it (they do) See more

13.01.2022 Excellent news out from UWA! "Thanks to the hard work and commitment of all UWA staff we end 2020 on a positive note, and go into 2021 with all of our financial entitlements back to normal and strong job protections in place." - UWA Branch President Dr Sanna Peden Join your union: nteu.org.au/join

12.01.2022 NTEU has submitted a Freedom of Information request regarding Murdoch University executive remuneration and their performance indicators. At a time when management has already been cutting staff and now is seeking to freeze staff wages ahead of more job losses they should be transparent about remuneration, bonuses and KPIs of their senior staff. What have they got to hide?

12.01.2022 Join your union and fight for a better sector: nteu.org.au/join #Budget2021 via #DavidPope

07.01.2022 Uh oh... In recent months, Western Australia’s Murdoch University and Curtin University have announced that they will maintain online-only classes in 2021. At Murdoch, lectures will be online while most tutorials will remain face-to-face, and there will be more physical classes in fields of medicine, molecular and forensic sciences. Curtin plans to make all lectures online under a draft proposal. The report, from the national Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency..., collected feedback surveys from 118 higher education providers across semester one. It found that between 33% and 50% of students were unhappy with online learning. A very large proportion of respondents commented that they did not like the experience of online learning and did not wish to ever experience it again, the report said.

05.01.2022 Welcome to our discussion with ACTU Secretary Sally McManus and casually employed members on reversing the epidemic of insecure work in higher education, hosted by NTEU WA Division Secretary Dr Cathy Moore.

04.01.2022 The National Tertiary Education Union of WA said staff had concerns that power at the university was being increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few highly-paid executives and it would be irreversible. It’s highly unusual and highly discourteous to the incoming VC for the outgoing VC to embark on the number of structural changes that have already happened, and continue to be rolled out, on the eve of her departure, said Catherine Moore, secretary for NTEU WA. Changin...g roles to higher levels (PVC to DVC) seems unnecessary during a time when the university is crying COVID-poor. And yet they have found $1.8 million for re-branding. Join your union: nteu.org.au/join Organise for better workplaces and better universities

03.01.2022 Today, we celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). Our union stands in solidarity with all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual workers in higher education. www.idahobit.org.au/

03.01.2022 Anyone remember when Rebekha Sharkie MP spoke out against doubling fees and cutting funding for uni? We do. Her party now has the final vote. We need Rebekha S...harkie & Senator Stirling Griff to be champions for staff, students & higher ed #FundUniFairly #BlockTheBill Join our SNAP ACTION at 12:30pm AEST today www.nteu.org.au/fundunifairly/snap_online_action

02.01.2022 "NTEU National Tertiary Education Union UWA branch president Sanna Peden said much uncertainty remained as the university was still going through a formal consultation process with staff over the restructure. "A full change proposal has not yet been released, so it is not clear what the immediate impact would be on the ground," she said. "The VC has indicated the impact for most people would be a change in reporting lines, and the NTEU is going to hold the university to that.... "This change is happening on the back of the huge sacrifice UWA staff have already made to help the university navigate its way out of the COVID-19 crisis the university has an obligation to give staff clarity, treat them with respect, and protect their jobs.""

02.01.2022 Australia’s universities have been hit hard by the pandemic, with thousands of job losses. Now the federal government wants to change the way the sector is funded, and how much students will pay. Today, Rick Morton on the crisis facing our universities, and why we’re on the brink of destroying our national research capacity.

02.01.2022 "Thanks for joining us Sally! Casualisation is a direct attack on the integrity and health of our sector. This collective bargaining round is an opportunity to break the business model that has seen our universities exploit casual workers for too long. - Dr Cathy Moore (NTEU WA Division Secretary) Not yet a member? Join your union: nteu.org.au/join