While the Flinders branch of the National Tertiary Education Union complains that staff are not game to speak their minds to management (CMM yesterday) it seems NTEU officials and university executives are getting along ok in enterprise bargaining. Union branch president Andrew Miller tells members bargaining discussions “have been constructive and spirited” with progress on more issues than are still in discussion or where there is a split. Pay and superannuation are still to come and the parties are split on fixed-term employment and job targets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers.

Bargaining also progresses at Macquarie U, where the CPSU, the union representing many general staff, is said to be willing to use the Fair Work Commission’s consensus-model ( CMM January29).  The NTEU and management are using the approach for academic staff  and Macquarie veterans say it is working well.