UniNewcastle management and the campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union are close to a deal on enterprise bargaining. Pay is said to be settled, with management upping its pay offer to 8.25 per cent over the agreement running from June this year to 2021.

However, it seems the two sides aren’t agreeing on what negotiators settled on roles of committees of inquiry on academic probation and staff performance management, the latter being an issue at other universities in this bargaining round. The university is challenging what the union has told its members was decided.

This could delay a deal but probably won’t. New vice chancellor Alex Zelinsky arrives next month and he may have new views on outstanding issues.