National Tertiary Education Union branch claims victory in industrial dispute with University of New England

The industrial dispute comes in advance of bargaining for a new enterprise agreement between staff and the university, which is expected to commence soon.

The UNE branch of the National Tertiary Education Union claims that UNE advertised four technical officer positions in the university's science school as three-year fixed term positions in July.

According to the university's enterprise agreement, and the university's 'Time for Change' plan, the positions should have been ongoing, according to the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) union.

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A fortnight ago the NTEU issued a notification of dispute over the positions.

UNE management subsequently agreed to re-advertise the positions as ongoing.

UNE branch Vice-President Craig Johnson, himself a university technician, said he was concerned that industrial action had to be taken before management reversed its decision.

"An enterprise agreement is just that, something that both staff and management have agreed on in good faith," he said.

"While I'm relieved that this wrong has been righted, the fact that staff members had to step in and take this kind of action to ensure management kept its side of the bargain is concerning, especially given we will soon be commencing the bargaining process for the next agreement."

A spokesperson for UNE said the university doesn't comment on individual matters and is "disappointed that the union has taken this approach".

The university slashed $20 million worth of staff as part of the Time for Change process last year. The COVID-19 crisis has laid waste to budgets across the tertiary education sector.

Mr Johnson said the ranks of technical officers had been severely depleted at the university as a result of the cuts, leaving the remaining staff overworked and under "enormous pressure".

The victory is a "step towards reducing unmanageable workloads across the university," he said.

"The erosion of our rights as university workers includes the move to more casual, insecure and precarious work.

"Trying to replace continuing positions by fixed-term contracts is just one example and we won't stand for it.

"We won't hesitate to take this, and other types of action again, to ensure UNE management abides by the [enterprise agreement] and respects the workers' rights that are enshrined within it."

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