This will make the vote hard for management to win

The campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union has voted to oppose management’s proposal to vary the university’s enterprise agreement.

Vice Chancellor Duncan Maskell suggests staff give back a May pay rise to save jobs. He also signals jobs will have to go. Overall proposals will be put to staff on June 9, in a vote to vary the university’s enterprise agreement.

To which union members respond, nothing-doing, voting yesterday to oppose the changes. This could make it tough for Professor Maskell. Industrial relations observers point to precedents at universities across the country where non-union members followed the NTEU’s advise and opposed management proposed changes.