Management says there is no deal with unions

Management and campus unions have not reached an agreement on a joint COVID-19 cuts plan. According to HR director Geoff Rogers, the university considered proposals from the unions but decided, “they were not able to deliver the level of certainty that we felt was important for both staff and the university moving forward.”

Mr Rogers told staff yesterday the university would stick with its original proposal to vary the Enterprise Agreement. This includes; * deferring the 2 per cent pay rise due at the end of the month to December 2021, (the June 30 2021 2 per cent will be paid on-time) * staff purchase of nine days of extra leave, plus more if people want.

In return, management commits to no stand downs or forced redundancies for an agreed (but not specified yesterday) period. There was no word on required job losses, although last month management estimated staff concessions on conditions and variations to the Enterprise Agreement could save $6m and protect 115 jobs, (CMM August 5).

In the absence of a deal, Mr Rogers told staff yesterday the university “will consider its position and provide further updates shortly.”