Southern Cross staff go over Vice Chancellor’s head

At a union meeting attended by dozens of general and academic staff yesterday, and spanning both the Lismore and Coffs Harbour campuses of Southern Cross University, staff moved unanimously to appeal to the Chancellor and the University Council, as a sign of no-confidence in the current Vice Chancellor, John Rickard.

The motion follows a recent deadlock in the Enterprise Bargaining process for a new industrial Agreement. The Vice Chancellor recently offered staff a 9% pay increase over 3 years - much lower than staff and union expectations, and inconsistent with recent pay rises at other universities. Staff and unions had been entertaining a number of constructive concessions to management until that point.

The president of the Community & Public Sector Union (CPSU) at Southern Cross University, Ms Toni Ledgerwood, said staff had been left with little choice but to consider making a direct appeal to the Chancellor, the Honourable Justice John Dowd.

"Yesterday's meeting of staff and unions noted firstly the Vice Chancellor's imminent departure to another university, and secondly that his recent offer had been interpreted as a sign of bad faith - little more than an attempt to goad staff as a last hurrah," Ms Ledgerwood said.

"Inflaming staff's passions in the middle of serious negotiations is not particularly constructive, nor does it benefit the university."

"That's why we have embarked on a strategy of seeking out the Chancellor, Justice Dowd directly to ask for his intervention."

"Likewise we will be making an urgent appeal to the University Council, by way of seeking to bye-pass the Vice Chancellor."

General staff member and CPSU delegate, Ms Marnya Flanagan, said that staff required a realistic pay rise consistent with agreements reached at other universities.

"We need the enterprise bargaining process to continue in good faith, for the sake of all involved," Ms Flanagan said.

The CPSU's Organiser at Southern Cross University, Stephen Senise, said staff were motivated by concerns for the standing and interests of the university, when they had determined to go over the Vice Chancellor's head.

"Ultimately staff are acting not only in defence of their pay and conditions, but in the best interests of the university and its standing in the academic and broader community."