It seems the University of Newcastle is not looking for big staff changes in the agreement being negotiated. The National Tertiary Education Union reports the long-established 40/40/20 workload allocation continues for teaching and research academics.  Nor has management floated a flotilla of workpractice changes in the form of a simplified agreement. Just about the only substantive procedural push is a management proposal to change discipline procedures. This looks like a move from the university industrial peak body’s playbook, which has turned up in negotiations around the country. A common compromise is to replace a discipline appeal committee with an independent arbiter.

The parties are not yet talking pay rises but so far it seems peaceful progress prevails. It’s an improvement on tensions last year when administrative jobs were changed and abolished under the Organisational Design Project and subjects went in a humanities restructure.