Enterprise Bargaining Report 8
26 August 2009
Enterprise Agreements have two components:
| 1. | A salary offer that will attract and retain quality staff that is competitive with other comparable universities and that university staff have a fair and just wage increase. |
| 2. | Conditions matters. The provisions that protected university staff were removed from our Agreements under the Howard Government's Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements (HEWRRs). The only reason why these provisions were agreed to was to enable universities to receive their share of the $500 million in additional grants that the Howard Government made conditional on HEWRRs being met. With HEWRRs being abolished 12 months ago, there is no reason or justification for any university not to reinstate the pre-HEWRRs standards in new and improved Collective Agreements. |
These are important issues for professional staff that the unions involved in the negotiations are reluctant to compromise and are working hard to have clauses in the new agreement that would give professional staff conditions such as workload regulation, job security in restructures, clear and transparent professional staff classification issues, union rights and resources, casualisation of staffing, indigenous employment, etc.
It is clear from our survey of professional staff that the conditions matters are far more important than the salary issue. However, the three South Australian universities have now put out salary offers that are not remotely competitive against the numerous agreements reached to date around the country. Most universities have offers that are around about 16% over the 4 year period of Agreements. Traditionally Adelaide universities sit back and see where comparable universities finally reach an agreement. Universities are competitive not just for income but in being able to offer salaries that will attract and retain the best staff that will make each of our universities competitive.
The salary offers from the three South Australian universities at present are:
University of Adelaide
| 4.5% | June 2009 Administrative increase |
| 3.0% | June 2010 |
| 3.0% | June 2011 |
| 3.0% | June 2012 |
| Cumulative amount: 13.5% over 4 years |
University of South Australia
| 2.00% | 8 August 2009 Administrative increase |
| 3.5% | 30 September 2010 |
| 3.5% | 30 September 2011 |
| 3.5% | 30 September 2012 |
| Cumulative amount: 12.5% over 4 years |
Flinders University of South Australia
| 2.1% | 3 January Administrative increase |
| 1.4% | on certification |
| 3.25% | 30 June 2010 |
| 3.5% | 30 June 2011 |
| 4.0% | 30 June 2012 |
|
Cumulative amount: 14.25% over 4 years* *Inclusive of the 2.1% increase paid 3 January 2009 |
University of Adelaide management negotiating team yesterday morning put on the table their comprehensive document responding to the the unions Log of Claims which members will recall was given to the university in September 2008. The salary offer in this new document remains unchanged and despite negotiations occurring for many months the university have not considered some of the key claims aimed at redressing the existing inadequacies that occurred with the previous HEWRRs Agreements.
The feedback from members responding to the conditions matters will be invaluable to your union negotiators as we work towards an Agreement that will best meet the wishes of professional staff.
Thank you to all members who responded.
Please do not hesitate to contact CPSU Industrial Officer, Margaret Warner on 8205 3209 if you need clarification on any issues.
CPSU: Working for General Staff in Universities
Work Together - Win Together
Join a friend and win. To be able to successfully negotiate we need every single person who works in the university to be members. Log on to the CPSU/PSA website for a membership form, and ask a colleague to join and you will both go into a draw to win a prize of a $200 Woolworths or Coles card for you, and a $50 Woolworths or Coles card for the new member you recruit each month.