Union elections are off and on. At universities across the country there are a mass of elected positions with one, or no, candidates. No one wants to be branch president of the National Tertiary Education Union at La Trobe U.

But at others there are actual campaigns. Including at Monash U, where branch secretary Adam Fernandes is challenging president Tony Lad and Michelle Giovas is running for VP professional staff against incumbent Mary Cleary. Branch secretary Nic Kimberley is opposed by Barbara Smith.  Fernandes, Cleary and Kimberley are running on a ticket which is said to be backed by influential NTEU-types off campus. Talk is of leadership renewal but the underlying issue appears to be dissatisfaction at the pace of enterprise negotiations.