Management and the campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union have agreed on terms for a new enterprise agreement

The deal is as expected a fortnight back, when the union cancelled industrial action in response to bargaining progress (CMM November 18).

The agreement includes a 13.5 per cent pay rise, including 4.6 per cent paid in July, through to mid 25, improved conditions, some continuing positions in place of casual jobs and a union-management consultative committee. The union will now put the proposal to members for agreement, before it goes to an all-university staff vote.

If adopted, the offer will be a much-needed win for management, allowing it to focus on the campaign against relocating the university to the Hobart CBD. And it may reduce the scope of questions at hearings of the Legislative Council’s inquiry into the university’s governance. The creation of the committee will also help with that, giving management witnesses a positive future to point to.