http://www.nteu.org.au/news/current/untitled_3
MEDIA RELEASE
2 December 2008
Staff at Victoria University will be taking industrial action on 8 December, following overwhelming support in a secret ballot last week.
The NTEU today announced plans for a strike and work bans, unless the University demonstrates a new attitude to staff demands.
“Strike action at Victoria University could be averted if Vice-Chancellor Elizabeth Harman suspends the planned mass-sackings over Christmas and comes to the bargaining table in good faith,” said Matthew McGowan, Secretary of the NTEU Victorian Division.
NTEU members voted overwhelmingly to authorise industrial action, with the Australian Electoral Commission announcing the result yesterday. The first round of industrial action will take place on Monday 8 December. A mass meeting of NTEU members on that day will consider recommendations for subsequent rounds of industrial action, including further strike action in December.
“As we head into the holiday season, there are over 270 staff at Victoria University that won’t be celebrating. We have been trying to get the university to bargain for a new collective agreement since May this year, but their response has been to engage in delaying tactics,” said Mr Richard Gough, President of Victoria University NTEU Branch.
“University senior management can end this dispute today by treating staff with the dignity and respect they deserve. We are calling on Professor Harman to end the forced redundancies and come to the bargaining table ready to negotiate a new collective agreement that would ensure that there would be no forced redundancies for the life of any new agreement,” Mr Gough said.
“If these redundancies go through, students will come back next year to the worst class sizes and student-teacher ratios in Australia,” he said.
In a recent NTEU survey of higher education staff which asked whether staff had confidence in the administration, Vice-Chancellor Harman and the senior management at Victoria University rated worst in the state. 94 percent of staff did not have confidence, compared to a 72 percent state average. 95 percent of VU staff did not consider themselves to be respected or valued at work, compared to a 76 percent state average.
Monday 8 December Strike
Staff at all campuses of Victoria University will be taking lawful industrial action, including strike action and the imposition of work bans, on Monday 8 December. There will be a stop-work meeting at 1pm at the Footscray Park campus, which will consider further industrial action.
For more information:
Matthew McGowan, State Secretary, NTEU Victorian Division 0417 054 110
Richard Gough, President, Victoria University NTEU Branch 0418 102 547
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