After 37 bargaining meetings, University of Queensland provost Aidan Byrne says the university has made a pay offer “that converges with the stated position of the unions” and that it is time to settle on “outstanding maters.”

“Our new offer compares very favourably to those that have been agreed by other universities which have recently negotiated new agreements.” Professor Byrne has told staff.

Professor Byrne says the university is offering all staff a rise that equals 8 per cent over the life of the agreement, which should meet demands for a pay rise above CPI, unless inflation unexpectedly accelerates. But the deal is different to management’s January offer, which included a mix of fixed amounts and per centage increases, to the advantage of lower paid staff. “Feedback received from staff was to improve the offer for more senior staff,” which Professor Byrne says is now done.  Staff earning under $50 000 will now receive 11.2 per cent over the agreement while those on $70 000 will receive a 9.2 per cent rise.

Assuming the union accepts this offer the only significant outstanding issue is job security, on which UoQ observers suggest management may not be as agreeable as they have been on money.