In December academic staff voted no to the university’s offer on wages and conditions – so it was back to bargaining

Yesterday a deal was done, with proposed changes also applying where relevant to professional staff, who voted for the original offer, in December (CMM December 9 and 14.)

VC Carolyn Evans and National Tertiary Education Union branch president Kim Walder announced an, “excellent outcome,” late yesterday. Changes include,

* an extra 2.5 per cent pay rise in March ’25. With the 2 per cent administrative pay rise awarded by management in March ’21 the total increase is 14.5 per cent across the agreement, (which is extended by six months)

* 3.6 per cent First Peoples employment by June ’25

* consultation and review mechanisms for academic work allocation

* a new university-level teaching allocation framework

* dropping management’s proposed changes to setting casual academic pay rates

* unspecified “revisions” to the definition of intellectual and academic freedom. The university’s original proposals were rejected by the union, which warned it “provides no enforceable protections for staff.” The NTEU liked the clause in the old agreement, (CMM December 9).

If (as seems assured) approved by NTEU members, the academic agreement and variations to that accepted by the professional workforce will be put to all-staff ballots