CPSU UNE General Staff Enterprise Bargaining Update

GOOD NEWS

BAD NEWS

UNE is still insisting on a single Agreement combining General Staff, Academics and Teachers conditions meaning General Staff would lose their own separate Enterprise Agreement.

General Staff currently have their own separate agreement and most General Staff strongly believe that they should keep a separate agreement.

A separate Agreement means better outcomes for General Staff. When negotiating a General Staff agreement only General Staff matters are discussed and prioritised. There is no need to negotiate the prioritisation of General Staff matters.

General Staff conditions will be protected and not traded off against academic conditions and vice versa.

Only General Staff vote on a General Staff Agreement.

The current General Staff Agreement does not expire until 6 September 2006. The Academic and the Language Teachers Agreements expire on 30 June 2006.

Some areas of difference between Academics and General Staff are listed below:

• Terms of engagement Probation (Academic 5 years General Staff 3 months)
• Notice periods GS 4 weeks Academics 6 weeks
• Hours of work (Hours of work for academics are calculated on workload General Staff have set hours)
  Part time and fractional employment offered to Academics differs from General Staff
• Annual Leave (Academics self manage 4 weeks, GS 5 weeks highly managed with no self-determination)
• Managing Organisational change (this clause differs for Academics and General Staff)
• Hours of work
  Shift work, Rosters, Overtime, shift penalties and loadings, On call provisions, Stand-downs (all differ from Academics)
• Teaching Staff

• Classifications different to General Staff and Academics
• Teaching Duties
• Allowances

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. If you want to retain your own separate Agreement and the right to self-determine your conditions of employment and you believe that a separate Agreement negotiated for General Staff where only General Staff matters are discussed and prioritised - sign the petition that is being circulated

2. The University of New England is determined to meet the deadline of August 2006 to have an Agreement that complies with HEWRRs.

   This means that General Staff can influence whether you retain your separate agreement as the University needs you to vote to terminate your current separate agreement and vote to have a single agreement combined with the Academics and Language teachers.

   YOUR VOTE WILL COUNT

3. JOIN THE CPSU - THE GENERAL STAFF UNION

Join your General Staff Union today
Contact CPSU Industrial Staff or Branch President, Tony Pavan, for details.