There’s movement in the long-running dispute over a new employment agreement

A National Tertiary Education Union meeting of 700 members voted yesterday to accept management’s latest offer as a framework to finalise negotiations. This appears to mean that scheduled industrial action is now off.

Observers suggest the foreshadowed motion to get down to the last details was carried by around a two-thirds majority. This contrasts with a March vote when a union meeting tied 300 for and against industrial action (CMM March 27).

Late yesterday union branch president Nick Riemer, tweeted, “the result today wasn’t what I wanted but 700 members voted clearly and we will do everything we can to use it to shift management. Whatever happens, it’s obvious we only got this far because we were ready to run the hardest campaign the university sector here has seen. It’s not over yet.”

So is it the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end?

Given bargaining commenced in August 21 it’s been a long beginning, The end will begin, when and if, union members sign-off on a proposed agreement. Only then will a proposal go to an all-staff vote.

It’s worth remembering that members of the other campus union, the CPSU also get to be asked.