It took a few blues, sorry maroons, to get there but Griffith U has new enterprise agreements ready to go

A 90 per cent majority of academics voting have just backed a management offer supported by the campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union. That just 40 per cent of eligible staff turned out may reflect a desire to end a long and contentious process. Professional staff voted for their own agreement in December, when academics knocked theirs back so the former need to vote again, today and tomorrow.

Unless professional staff are in the mood for payrise-delaying mayhem, support seems assured, so the university community is about to have new terms, including a 14.5 per cent pay rise over the agreement (CMM February 7).

“Thank you again to all academic staff who participated in the discussions and the voting. We also thank the NTEU and Griffith bargaining teams for negotiating an excellent outcome,” VC Carolyn Evans says.

Wage rise agreed at James Cook U

Management and representatives of the NTEU and the Electrical Trade Union have reached an agreement, to go to members and then all staff, for approval.

The core of the deal is a 14.5 (flat) per cent payrise from July through December ’25. This appears a good deal, given VC Simon Biggs warned of a $25m “overspend” this year (CMM April 26).

“Four down, three to go” an industrial observer points out

With agreements reached at Griffith U, James Cook U, QUT and close-to at Uni Queensland (where the offer is a base 15.76 per cent) that’s the state’s big four set. Central Queensland U, Uni Southern Queensland and Uni Sunshine Coast are to come. Given pay rises agreed it is hard to see how the three can offer anything under 14 per cent.