In December GU professional staff voted for a management offer on wages and conditions but academics didn’t

The National Tertiary Education Union opposed the prop on a range of issues, including the offered pay rise, workloads and changes to free speech protections set out in the 2017 agreement, (CMM December 9 and 14).

After the holidays Vice Chancellor Carolyn Evans and NTEU State Secretary Michael McNally  started talks – to what appears positive effect.

The union says management has upped the overall pay rise by 2.5 per cent, to 14.5 per cent (which will apply to all staff), in return for a new agreement running for six more months. There is also progress on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment targets and on academic freedom.

NTEU branch president at Griffith U, Kim Walder tells members there are hope for an agreement “in the coming weeks”.