APS in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | College & University

APS

Locality: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 7 3346 3400

Address: University of Queensland 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Website: www.uqu.com.au/representing-u/uqu-collectives/association-of-postgraduate-students

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25.01.2022 NEW LOCATION FOR NTEU RALLY, FRIDAY There has been a slight change of location for this Friday's NTEU rally against the enormous job cuts recently announced at Griffith University. The new details are as follows: TIME: 12pm midday, Friday, 20 November... LOCATION: End of Russell Street, South Bank (near the Wheel of Brisbane and the ABC). We look forward to seeing you there! https://www.facebook.com/events/900230167051095/

25.01.2022 APS RESPONSE TO UQ SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE MAJOR CHANGE PROPOSAL This is the statement that we will be submitting in response to the major change proposal that was recently announced by the UQ School of Architecture. In short, we condemn this proposal and emphasise the severe impact it would have upon all postgraduate students in the school. If the School management would like to experiment with fancy new degrees, then we suggest that they do so without attacking staff and students! All this week, we've been out around campus alongside NTEU activists, painting banners and placards and promoting tomorrow's rally - UQ Architecture rally: No spill and fill! We hope to see you there, 2:30pm in the Great Court!

24.01.2022 RUOKAY DAY & THE REAL THREATS TO OUR MENTAL HEALTH Today is RUOkay day, a day prized by university managements around the country, ripe for getting out the glossy and well-branded bandaids to cover up the real struggles faced by university staff and students. In contrast to the tone that often dominates RUOkay day, however, we say that the most important factors affecting postgraduate mental health are the material ones: whether we have enough money to pay rent and to eat, wh...ether we have enough time to complete all the work that is expected of us, whether we have any hope of employment in the university sector when we complete our studies, or whether we'll be damned to years and years of unforgiving and unrewarding casual labour, as a very large proportion of UQ's own staff have had to endure. This RUOkay day, think about the issues that really matter - with universities on the offensive around the country, now is the time to get organised and to fight back! Attached are a few great images produced by some NTEU Fightback activists based at Curtin University. - Christian Rizzalli (APS President 2020)

23.01.2022 NEW COURSE CUTS ANNOUNCED, PROTEST TOMORROW Once again, UQ management has held staff and students in complete contempt, recently announcing their plans to cut over 40 courses in the HASS faculty. If we needed any more clarification as to whether the university management is on our side against the government's proposed fee hikes and funding cuts, well then this should leave no more doubt in anyone's mind! These cuts are set to have an enormous impact upon staff and students -... we've already heard from casual tutors who will lose a significant portion of their work as a result, and that's before we even consider the enormous impact the cuts will have upon the quality of students' education. Once again, the university's sick mantra of "rationalisation" rules the day. Come out on Friday - 5pm at King George Square - and join in the demonstration against the government's funding shake-up and UQ's shameful course cuts! https://www.facebook.com/events/303191527494072/

22.01.2022 MORE ATTACKS FROM DISGRACEFUL DAN Honestly, at this point, we're no longer sure what's been worse for staff and students in the tertiary education sector: the unprecedented global pandemic, or the Dishonourable and Disgraceful Dan Tehan. While Australian universities are facing unprecedented hardship, and university managements are pushing the burden of this hardship onto their staff and students, all that this deplorable government can do is offer more attacks. First they g...o out of their way to lock the sector out of JobKeeper, then they cut funding-per-student across the board (alongside absurd fee hikes for all humanities students), and now they threaten to enforce up-front fee payment for struggling students who are often the most vulnerable. This is why we need a mass movement of staff and students who are ready to fight back. Come out to the Grassy Knoll on August 28th at 1pm to demonstrate against all of these attacks!!

22.01.2022 HDR Lived Experiences Student Panel The pressures of HDR study can often be overwhelming, especially right now while both staff and students in tertiary education face a seemingly constant stream of attacks upon our working and studying conditions. APS mental health representative, Nataya Branjerdporn, will be speaking on this panel alongside some fellow postgraduate student representatives, discussing the mental health strains faced by postgraduate research students.

22.01.2022 RAMPANT WAGE THEFT IN AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES It seems that the floodgates have been opened on Australian universities' exploitative treatment of casual staff, with news today that at least 10 universities around the country are facing wage theft accusations. Dr Ellyse Fenton, who has been a great staff ally of the UQU APS and a committed activist in the NTEU National Tertiary Education Union, has spoken to the ABC about the severe exploitation faced by our own casual colleag...ues at UQ. The APS condemns the gross and ongoing exploitation of casual staff at UQ, and we condemn the recent decision taken by many Schools and Institutes to cut back on the work offered to casual staff this semester. It is a scathing indictment on this entire institution that the very backbone of its staff are treated with such brazen contempt. Shame on UQ, and solidarity to all casual staff who are fighting back around Australia right now! https://www.abc.net.au//rmit-uq-now-among-univers/12565528

21.01.2022 COVID IMPACT EXTENSIONS FOR UQ HDR STUDENTS After months of discussions and planning, the Graduate School has recently launched its "COVID Impact HDR Scholarship extension" program, which aims to offer a 3-month scholarship extension to PhD and MPhil students whose research has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. While we welcome the introduction of this extension program, it is important to note that it is not a simple case of 3-month extensions being available for any s...tudents who may apply; there are a range of specific eligibility criteria that must be met by any interested students. With this in mind, we will be continuing to work with the Graduate School in fine-tuning the program over the coming weeks. If you have any concerns about the extension system, then please let us know in a message to this page, or via email to [email protected]. See more

19.01.2022 AUSTRALIAN VCs HAVE AN APPETITE FOR DEATH University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor/resident grim reaper Duncan Maskell has recently taken a break from attacking workers and students so that he could have a quick chat to the Sydney Morning Herald about Australia's Covid-19 response. In a bit of a mask-off moment, he seemingly attempted to move the national conversation away from the premise of "saving lives," and pushed us instead to consider our "appetite ... for disease and m...ortality associated with this virus." Our appetite for disease and death? This is exactly the kind of soulless, privileged and contemptuous perspective that we should expect from someone who has spent the last few months doing his best to push casual workers into poverty and destroy the livelihoods of nearly 500 permanent staff. Make no mistake, Maskell's response to Covid-19 is not about protecting the wellbeing of young people - his response comes from the very same motivation that has guided his attacks on staff and students: to protect profits, at whatever cost. Shame on Duncan Maskell, and shame on all VCs who are right now plotting their next attacks on staff and students.

19.01.2022 CAPA FIGHTING FOR RESEARCH STUDENT FUNDING Ahead of the federal government's upcoming budget, the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations - CAPA have renewed their calls for adequate research funding to support postgraduate students and the institutions in which they study. In particular, we would highlight the fourth of CAPA's recommendations: That the government provides a one-off payment to universities to support RTP scholarship extensions to 4.5 years for all H...DR students at Australian universities. This point alone would have an incredibly positive impact upon all research students, providing meaningful and material compensation for the struggles that we have faced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, while causing only a drop in the ocean in the context of the Federal budget. The APS stands with CAPA in their #Valuepostgrads campaign, and we would encourage all of our members to read up on the rest of the recommendations outlined in the attached media release.

19.01.2022 Hmmm... It's almost like disgraceful and dishonourable Dan Tehan doesn't have a single clue what he's talking about...

19.01.2022 Happy Valentine's Day, folks!

18.01.2022 BREAKING: FEE INCREASES FOR LAW, HUMANITIES AND POLITICAL SCIENCE Absolutely disgraceful news has come out today regarding the Federal Government's proposed tertiary education "funding shake-up." As always, the Libs are looking for things to cut, and this time it looks like Dan "knows nothing about tertiary education" Tehan has outdone himself. Perhaps there's an agenda behind this degree-factory approach to universities? From the NUS: "Courses in areas like Political Science...s, Law, Arts and Humanities are facing fee increases to over $13,000. These areas of studies are critically important for political development and give people the practical ability to challenges to the political of the Liberal party room." The APS stands against the cheap and contemptuous politics of the LNP, and we will be working with student and worker groups from around Australia to resist these shameful cuts.

18.01.2022 WORKLOADS MYTHBUSTER #6 We've saved one of the best for last here. In the times like those that we're currently living through, the enormous uncertainty can be paralysing - especially when we start to think about fighting back against exploitative university managements... But as this little mythbuster explains: we know that the crisis is impacting universities, and managements have already starting to use this as justification for their attacks on students and staff. So now ...is the time for all students and staff to fight back against these attacks, to say that we will not pay the price for universities' own mismanagement! Myth? We should wait until management has had time to understand the full impact of the crisis before taking action. Busted: The immediate impact of the crisis is clear. Management are already pushing work previously done by casual and fixed-term staff onto continuing staff and changing workload expectations. Fighting for fair workloads now can help protect your insecurely employed colleagues, as well as making it di cult for staff to be made redundant in the future. Now is the best time to fight for a fair and reasonable workload.

18.01.2022 Are you planning on attending UQU's Market Day on Wednesday? https://www.facebook.com/events/1127212601083641 Don't forget to register for your timeslot! To comply with COVID-19 guidelines, we will be running Market Day with 4 timeslots. Register now https://cutt.ly/3kNf7eX... Join our exclusive FB community : https://www.facebook.com/groups/apsuqu

18.01.2022 DEMONSTRATION AGAINST DISGRACEFUL DAN TEHAN'S FEE HIKES Come along this Friday, 5pm in King George Square, for another demonstration against Disgraceful Dan Tehan's fee hikes. His funding "shake-up" poses an existential threat to tertiary education in Australia, and the ramifications of these changes will be felt by postgraduates all around the country. Here at the APS, we believe that tertiary education should be fully and properly publicly funded - just like it was when Dis...graceful Dan was doing his study! Head over to this event page for the details: https://www.facebook.com/events/303191527494072/ #StudentFightback #SlamDanTehan

15.01.2022 Interested in HDR student wellbeing? A team at UQ is wanting to explore and improve HDR wellbeing and engagement. They are seeking 4 HDR students to partner with us to co-investigate and develop a survey tool, in collaboration with researchers from multiple faculties and HDR student representatives from the UQU Mental Health Postgraduate Advisory Council. Student partners will be offered a range of opportunities to engage in collaborative activities and leadership opportunities to lead discussions, chair meetings and present findings. The findings will be used to inform future initiatives to support HDR students at UQ. For more information about this funded opportunity, and to apply, please visit the project page here https://studenthub.uq.edu.au//ssp-project-enhancing-hdr-st (login required). Closes 1 July.

15.01.2022 TWO MORE SLEEPS UNTIL MARKET DAY! Flyers printed New merch arrived Membership bags packed ... APS is ready to go - see you on Wednesday!

14.01.2022 EMERGENCY STUDENT PROTEST We urge all postgraduate students to come along to this demonstration against the recent university fee hikes and funding cuts announced by the Liberal government! The threat posed by this funding shake-up is an existential one, which is set to impact every corner of Australia's tertiary education system. Come along to King George Square at 5pm tomorrow, and join in the fightback!! https://www.facebook.com/events/2357559944550388/

14.01.2022 MASSIVE UNION WIN FOR UNI OF MELB CASUALS Many of you would have already seen the recent news from the University of Melbourne, where casual staff have been systematically exploited and underpaid for years. Following a strong campaign from casual members in the NTEU National Tertiary Education Union, the university is now being forced to repay MILLIONS of dollars to over 1500 staff members. The fact is, the University of Melbourne is certainly not the only institution deploy...ing such corner-cutting wage-theft tactics. University managements all around Australia regularly exploit their casual staff without a second thought, and UQ is no exception to that situation. We've already heard from multitudes of UQ casual staff - many of whom are postgraduate students - who have been facing similar underhanded treatment for years. With the incredible union win at Melbourne, now is the perfect time to join the NTEU UQ Branch and fight back against exploitative university managements! https://www.abc.net.au//university-of-melbourne-e/12519588

14.01.2022 Are you ready for the biggest year for APS to date? Come socialise with the APS team at Market Day, grab a membership pack, and discover what APS and UQ Union have in store for the best postgrad year ahead!

13.01.2022 UQ UNION STANDS WITH ARCHITECTURE STAFF AND STUDENTS Yesterday evening, we took this motion to a meeting of the UQ Union Council, and argued that all elected student representatives should be standing in solidarity with the staff and students in the School of Architecture who are currently waging an energetic fightback against their school's disastrous major change proposal. We can report here that the motion passed without opposition, with councillors voting unanimously in f...avour. The motion reads: The UQ Union condemns the major change proposal that was recently put forward by the upper management of the School of Architecture and the EAIT Faculty. We emphasise that the spill and fill technique being deployed is incredibly draconian, and join the NTEU in calling on the management to abandon this process immediately. The UQ Union stands in solidarity with all staff and students in the School of Architecture who are currently waging an admirable fightback against the misguided and cynical actions of the School management.

13.01.2022 CAPA CAMPAIGN FOR QUALITY OF EDUCATION Lately, we have been working closely with the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations - CAPA, alongside other key postgraduate student associations from around the country, in a campaign that seeks to protect students' quality of education in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and its broader ramifications on the sector. This is, of course, a particular pertinent concern for all of our Masters by Coursework students, whose learni...ng experience has been significantly impacted by the switch to online learning. The attached statement, addressed to all Australian university managements, outlines a list of recommendations that would, if implemented, greatly improve the quality of education for all students during this period of crisis. Here at the APS, we emphasise that there is absolutely no reason for our universities to reject any of these recommendations. It is high time for Australian universities to stop offering endless excuses about their hurt profits, and to start actually focusing on what matters most: staff, students, research, and education.

13.01.2022 SOLIDARITY WITH STUDENT STRUGGLE IN PAKISTAN The UQU APS stands in solidarity with students in Pakistan who are right now fighting to abolish an authoritarian ruling from 1984, which for nearly four decades has prohibited the very existence of student unions. While this ruling was first instigated under the military dictatorship of Ziaul Haq, it has disgracefully remained in place under successive so-called democratic governments. This year - as university staff and students... around the world have faced ceaseless attacks from governments and university administrations alike - we have seen the immense importance of fighting student unionism. It is abhorrent that students in Pakistan are being denied the right to organise collectively, and we join with them in demanding the immediate abolition of this authoritarian restriction! #RestoreStudentsUnion #StudentsUnionRestorationMarch #StudentsSolidarityMarch2020 #RSF

12.01.2022 RESTORE THE RIGHT TO PROTEST IN NSW Over the last few weeks, the NSW government and police force have increased their efforts to quash all protest in the state. From the attached open statement: "The crackdown on protest cannot be justified on the basis of legitimate health concerns. We, along with the majority of Australians, support the various restrictions and lockdowns that have been in place in recent months to control the spread of the deadly Coronavirus. Indeed, many o...f us have argued that they should go further. But at the moment, protests are being singled out in an absurd and hypocritical way. In NSW, up to 10,000 are now allowed to attend NRL matches, and 50 in a single corporate box. 300 can be in a casino, pub, or restaurant. Schools are not closed. Thousands are once again flocking to beaches. 500 can attend community sporting events. And yet 21 protesters, socially distanced and wearing masks, is deemed illegal." We've already seen a taste of similar actions in QLD, where 10,000 can attend football matches while a 1000-person protest for refugee rights is ripe for police repression. It is essential that we stand against such authoritarian measures wherever they occur, and call out the wild hypocrisy of those seeking to enforce the measures. Restore the right to protest in NSW! https://democracyisessential.wordpress.com///31/statement/

12.01.2022 The president of the APS, Christian Rizzalli, will be speaking at this Friday's demonstration against the Liberals' fee hikes and funding cuts! Come along to hear about how the government's changes will impact postgraduate students (spoiler: the outlook isn't good ), and to join in the student fightback!!

11.01.2022 WORKLOADS MYTHBUSTER #5 As this mythbuster notes, the Enterprise Agreement for staff at UQ is a powerful protection against exploitative workplace practices. It's absolutely imperative that all staff and students demand the accurate implementation of the conditions set out in the Agreement - they are designed to protect both staff teaching conditions and student learning conditions! Myth? We are not powerful enough to demand more resources or to reduce this increasing load.... Busted: When it comes to workloads, your NTEU-negotiated Enterprise Agreement is very powerful. Strong, legally enforceable workload rights enable you and your Union to enforce a fair, reasonable and equitable workload, and clear expectations for overtime or penalty rates. Workload limits are calculated differently across the university and in different professional staff roles. Collectively, with colleagues in your workplace, we have the power and the rights to enforce the provisions of your Enterprise Agreement.

09.01.2022 Fantastic work from students who occupied the Chancellery this morning, demonstrating against the UQ administration's radio silence following disgraceful Dan Tehan's recent fee hike announcement. See the attached post from the Student Action UQ team, and check out their page for footage from the occupation! The APS stands with all students and staff who are resisting this new round of attacks from the LNP government, and we encourage everyone to come along to the demonstration in the Brisbane CBD this Friday - meet at King George Square at 5pm! https://www.facebook.com/events/2357559944550388/

08.01.2022 BRISBANE UNI CONTINGENT TO GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE While the world grapples with the profound effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is imperative that we do not forget the climate crisis that right now is on our very doorstep. While the world has been in turmoil, ice has continued to melt and wildfires have continued to burn. The Queensland government is still propping up the disgusting Adani Carmichael mine project, and Morrison and his coal-loving cronies in Canberra are doing all they can to throw cash at their mates in the polluting gas-industry. Come to the Great Court next Friday, September 25, to be part of the UQ students' contingent to the Global Climate Strike! https://www.facebook.com/events/3247515392035850/

08.01.2022 RALLY AGAINST COURSE CUTS! UQ's recent announcement that it will be cutting 45 courses from the HASS faculty is a disgrace. This has shown that the university management sees tertiary education much in the same way as the federal government: as little more than a money-making scheme, designed to squeeze maximum money from students while giving as little as possible in return. These course cuts should be a great concern for all postgraduate students - that is our job market b...eing shredded down to the bone! Come out to the Grassy Knoll on August the 28th to stand against these shameful cuts! https://www.facebook.com/events/609385086378008/?notif_t=plan_user_invited¬if_id=1596419550247285

07.01.2022 RALLY TODAY, 1pm AT THE GRASSY KNOLL Come along to the Grassy Knoll at 1pm for a rally against all the attacks that we have been facing in the tertiary education sector - from disgraceful Dan Tehan's fee hikes to UQ's own rampant course cuts. https://m.facebook.com/events/609385086378008

07.01.2022 Are you passionate about academic advocacy on campus? UQU Student Rights Collective’s AAN applications are now open! For the first time ever, we are looking for representatives from the Grad School. Apply via link below

05.01.2022 CANCELLED: SIP AND STUDY (DUE TO UNWELL FACILITATORS) postponed until August 21. Update from UQU APS Mental Health team: Having a slow start to the semester? Writing a new thesis chapter? Sip and Study with other fellow HDR and postgrad students this Friday 10am-12pm with FREE coffee. Advanced Engineering Building (49), Level 5.

04.01.2022 Yes - we are outraged! Head on over to Student Fightback: Stop Fee Hikes, Stop Cuts to stay on top of campaign updates - shame on the LNP!

04.01.2022 CASUAL STAFF LOSING WORK AT UQ The APS is disgusted to hear about the multitudes of casual staff at UQ who have recently been told that they will have no work next semester. Across many Schools and Institutes, management have been seeking to cut costs by reassigning teaching work from casual staff to the full-time academic workforce. Every time a casual staff member loses their work, and every time that their work is pushed onto already overworked and underpaid full-time staf...f, the impacts are devastating for all involved. Casual staff are losing their entire livelihoods, while full-time staff are being placed under immense workload strain. We will continue to work closely with the NTEU National Tertiary Education Union in fighting back against these disgraceful attacks on casual and full-time staff at UQ. If you have any information about the loss of casual work around the university, please send us a message or an email ([email protected]) to let us know!

04.01.2022 DEMONSTRATION TOMORROW 1pm, GRASSY KNOLL Tertiary education is in crisis, and all that the Liberals and their pals in university administrations have done is offer cuts and attacks! Shame on the Federal government, and shame on UQ. Come out tomorrow, 1pm at the Grassy Knoll, for a demonstration against all of the attacks that have been levelled at students and staff in the tertiary education sector!

04.01.2022 RALLY AGAINST SPILL AND FILL IN UQ ARCHITECTURE Staff and students in UQ's School of Architecture are currently facing down a disgraceful major change proposal that would see almost their entire academic staff "disestablished," and forced to reapply for new positions that still have no clear description. This "spill and fill" process is invariably used as an excuse to cull staff en masse, and it is essential that we call it out as such. If the School of Architecture managemen...t is allowed to get away with this contemptuous attack on their staff, it will set a dangerous precedent for UQ's other Schools and Institutes to follow. Come along to the Great Court this Friday at 2:30pm to stand in solidarity with staff and students from the School of Architecture, and to say no to the spill and fill! https://www.facebook.com/events/1653908938121582

04.01.2022 BANNER AND PLACARD PAINTING FOR FRIDAY'S RALLY We had a great time today with fellow postgraduate students and staff members, designing and painting a few banners and placards for this Friday's UQ Architecture rally: No spill and fill! We had quite a production line going on and so we have plenty of placards to spare - come along to the Great Court this Friday at 2:30pm to stand in solidarity with Architecture staff and students, and say no to the spill and fill!

02.01.2022 NEW WEBSITE FOR UQ ARCHITECTURE FIGHTBACK Have you heard about the fightback that staff and students in the School of Architecture have been waging against their management's disgraceful major change proposal? Head over to the new website to find out what's happening and to see how you can get involved!! https://www.saveuqarchitecture.com/

02.01.2022 WORKLOADS MYTHBUSTER #4 This little mythbuster touches on a classic propaganda point that regularly gets rolled out by university managements to justify their attacks on workers. In fact, this is the very argument being made right now by School and Institution managements at UQ, who are seeking to greatly decrease or completely eradicate casual staff hours for semester 2. The fact of the matter is, staff and students should NEVER have to bear the burden of universities' own f...inancial mismanagement, even in times of crisis such as this! Myth? Management is unable to increase staffing due to budget constraints, so we all need to pitch in. Busted: University managements are trying to navigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic by dismissing casual and other insecure employees and shifting the extra burden onto continuing staff. You and your colleagues are not solely responsible for the universitys budget, not even in a difficult time such as now. There are more ways to pitch-in other than risking your health through increased stress and or unpaid overtime. Budget decisions should be made around the requirements of the Enterprise Agreement and should ensure adequate resources for your workplace so you can do your job in safety and without excessive workloads on staff.

02.01.2022 UPDATE AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE NJPF A little while ago, we put out an update on this page with the great news that the NTEU leadership's disastrous "National Jobs Protection Framework" (NJPF) had been defeated by union members' rank and file fightback. In the context of UQ, the APS played an important role in building and organising this rank and file fightback against the NJPF, and since then we've continued to work with NTEU activists, assisting materially in the continuing... campaigns at UQ, while also lending our solidarity to those students and workers in other Australian universities who are currently under attack from managements and VCs. As we had expected, defeating the NJPF was only the first stage in fighting back against what is shaping up to be an unprecedented attack on workers' rights and conditions that Australian universities have launched in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. At UQ, it is currently looking like the university management will not be seeking any changes to the current Enterprise Agreement this year - but this is certainly no cause for complacency, as there are many other ways that workers can be attacked without the varying of Enterprise Agreements. We've already heard damning reports from casual staff around UQ who have simply been told that they won't have any work next semester, while others are facing potentially drastic unpaid overtime as a result of the university's proposed "dual delivery" approach. At the APS, we are acutely aware that a very significant portion of the UQ postgraduate cohort rely upon casual academic work to financially support themselves throughout their studies, and so it is absolutely in our collective interest to continue fighting back against attacks from the university management. Over the coming days, we'll post some information about the campaigns that have recently been set in motion by the UQ branch of the NTEU... And in the meantime, if you want to get involved in the fightback, please send us a message!

02.01.2022 Don't forget to join our new postgrad Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/apsuqu

02.01.2022 WORKLOADS MYTHBUSTERS As part of the recently-launched Workloads campaign, the UQ branch of the NTEU has produced a series of workloads mythbusters. These mythbusters cut through some of the common misconceptions and false assumptions regarding workload issues for university employees. We've chosen a few that are most relevant for postgraduate students and casual staff, and will be sharing them over the coming days! So, to start us off, heres Workloads Mythbuster #1: Myth?... If we all just pull together now for the university, at some time later the workload will decrease. Busted: Workload intensification has been a feature of university employment for professional and academic staff for many years. Covid-19 is another crisis where staff take on more work at a decreasing cost to the university. Heavier, more stressful workloads become the new normal and the cost is borne by staff. In cases where members have worked together to prove excessive workloads, university management have reduced workloads and compensated those staff involved. ----- Keep this in mind over the coming weeks and months, and don't be afraid to bring it up with your full-time colleagues if they face workload intensification, especially if their increased workload leads to the loss of casual work for other staff and students. The only way to fight these attacks is through collective action!

02.01.2022 WORKLOADS MYTHBUSTER #3 This is a big one for anyone involved in trade unionism, and one that the managers and the bosses love to use against us when we're fighting for fair wages and fair work! Myth? I dont want to be a troublemaker in my workplace.... Busted: Enforcing your own rights under the Enterprise Agreement, including the strong provision around workloads, is not making trouble. It is the right thing to do; for you and your colleagues. If no one speaks up then workloads only get heavier. Stress and risk of psychosocial harm to you and your colleagues only increase. Work for casual colleagues dries up. Acting collectively avoids any individual having to bear any risk. If staff act together, even as a small group of colleagues, management must find the resources to employ others to ensure the work is done safely and in accordance with the agreed provisions of your Enterprise Agreement.

02.01.2022 WORKLOADS MYTHBUSTER #2 Alongside our full-time colleagues, this one is especially relevant for those of us working as casual tutors and lecturers while we study. Taking on extra (unpaid) labour plays into the exploitative tactics of university management - as this mythbuster notes, managements have come to expect this kind of free labour! That's why all of us need to stand in solidarity against any and all managements that try to squeeze unpaid labour from their staff. Myt...h? Refusing to do the extra work when needed means I am not a team player and anyway, I am just too busy to take time to monitor my workloads. Busted: University managements are aware that they are the recipients of significant amounts of free labour and knowledge from their staff and they count on this continuing into the future. Continuing to donate free labour to the university disadvantages you and your colleagues by failing to put a clear value on your time. Taking time to monitor or calculate your workloads is necessary to ensure you understand when and where you are delivering unpaid time to the university.