Uni Sydney’s offer on pay and conditions does not impress the campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union

On Tuesday the university proposed (amongst a mass of other offers) a 15 per cent pay rise across the three year agreement being negotiated, plus a $2000 signing bonus, continuing jobs for 300 academic casuals and for no more than 25 per cent of continuing and fixed term academics to be education-focused.

To which NTEU branch president Nick Riemer responded (via Twitter) that the wage offer is “lower than any union-agreed pay-rise in the higher education sector” and stating other demands, including sick pay and pay for all hours worked for casuals and a 20 per cent education focused cap. (He also accused CMM of “uncritical reproduction of management spin”).

And yesterday Dr Riemer reported (via Twitter) “the biggest meeting of our 19-month Enterprise Agreement campaign”

“We voted overwhelmingly for an escalating campaign of strike action …until we get the justice at work we deserve.”

What happens now

On Tuesday the university told staff, “ we will continue to negotiate in good faith with staff unions based on this package as we seek to reach agreement and finalise bargaining as soon as possible. Colleagues will then have the opportunity to vote on the new Agreement so that it can be approved by the Fair Work Commission.”

But what if agreement with the unions on Tuesday’s offer is not reached, as now seems likely? Management states that CMM was wrong to have read Tuesday’s statement (CMM yesterday)  as meaning it would put an offer to staff without union backing. “We are absolutely focussed on reaching agreement with the staff unions and finalising bargaining as soon as possible, and wouldn’t want to speculate beyond that process.”

So, without such speculation there is only bargaining and more bargaining – underway since August ’21.