According to the NTEU’s branch at RMIT Training, the offer provided to staff members promised “low wages and excessive workloads”.

ANU took strike action on 27 July to demand job security and better workloads.

22 months of bargaining has come to a close, with 80% of NTEU members voting for the agreement.

Management at Deakin University are pushing ahead with a non-union deal following five months of enterprise bargaining.

The University and the NTEU are now into the 20th month of negotiations for a new Enterprise Agreement, due to the University’s failure to meet the Union’s demands for fair pay and conditions.

Following a presentation from the UTS NTEU bargaining team last Thursday, NTEU members “endorsed the in-principle new staff agreement,” said UTS Branch Director Dr Sarah Attfield.

AHEIA advised universities to avoid being “roped in” to multi-employer bargaining, and encouraged universities to present pay offers to staff directly — rather than through unions.

University Management and unions representing staff have reached a partial in-principle agreement, with the University yet to agree to a pay rise above inflation and other union demands.

“The fact that staff have had to wait longer than is reasonable for a pay increase cannot be eliminated by flawed management rhetoric.”

UTAS staff collectively voted in support of the new agreement commencing from February 6.