Union members at the University of Queensland have laid out what they want management to deliver next week, to avoid industrial action in pursuit of a new enterprise agreement. A meeting of the campus National Tertiary Education Union on Wednesday demanded a pay-rise “above CPI,” an improvement in job-security conditions and “no diminution of procedural protections.”

With a cash and percentage pay offer that translates to 1.7 per cent per annum for lower paid staff already out there, UoQ observers suggest that something between this and the annualised December CPI (0.6 per cent) is do-able.

As to job security, the union’s position is driven by rank and file concern about a round of restructure driven redundancies in UoQ admin and what is said to be “among the highest” levels of academic casual staff in the country. However, the union makes no mention of management’s push to extend the span of campus opening hours, to provide student support, which may indicate a trade-off is possible.

Which leaves the union meetings refusal to accept an end to the existing system where discipline rulings are subject to appeal to a committee. Management wants to restrict appeals to matters of fact and/or new information. Perhaps the enterprise agreement at Deakin U might provide a solution where the principle of full appeal remains but matters are dealt with by an independent arbiter acceptable to both sides, ( CMM May 16).