Federal award modernisation:- “Don't cut University staff award standards”.

Our federal union, the Community & Public Sector Union (CPSU) has lodged its submission to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in the award modernisation case for university employees.

This is the first stage in the Award Modernisation process.

More than 50,000 University General Staff salaries and conditions will be subject to the "award modernisation" process. This will mean the Industrial Relations Commission will make a new award over the coming year to apply to all the university general staff.

Unions and University employers had until Friday the 1st of August to put their first claim to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) as to the shape of the new award, under Labor's first stage of the new industrial relations system that replaces Workchoices .

David Carey, the Federal Secretary of the CPSU said: "Our union has told the Commission that a new modern award should not drive down award conditions to the lowest common denominator."

"In fact we aim to restore conditions and rights taken away under Howard's WorkChoices and Brendan Nelson's Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements - the HEWRRS"

"Some University Employers still think it is 2006, not 2008 and will argue against high standards, and high rates. They will argue for "open slather" on fixed term and casual employment. These were the result of WorkChoices and the HEWRRS. Some will argue that all the wages and conditions are too complicated and varied and we should just pick the minimum".

Mr Carey said "It's really quite simple. Our submission says General Staff deserve their own Modern Award with high standards, controls on contract and casual employment, incremental salary scales, award-based superannuation and last, but not least, access to the independent arbitrator to resolve disputes.

When we negotiate our Enterprise Agreements we want to make sure that our New General Staff Award has the highest standards, for the "no disadvantage test".

The CPSU, The Community and Public Sector Union, is the General Staff Union for university staff across Australia.