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It is all too casual at UWS… Did you know the Higher Education Sector has one of the highest proportions of insecure employment in the Australian Workforce?

Posted 15 February 2012 by Kaylene Field (University of Western Sydney)

NTEU:  Improving job security @ UWS

 Your union has had a strong focus on improving the security of employment for employees in the University Sector.  As most people will know, the Union won a number of gains for Academic Staff in the last Enterprise Agreement.  Two such wins were the introduction of Career Development Fellowships and Teaching Focused Roles.  Both of these categories were introduced to provide increased security to University Employees.

Career Development Fellowships

CDF’s were introduced in the current agreement to allow both newly conferred PhD graduates and UWS staff who have been working consistently as casual academics for an extended period of time an opportunity to gain more secure employment and develop their career in the Sector.  Clause 12 (45 – 50) of the Agreement provides for up to 32 new positions.

We can now report that we have had success in the implementation of the CDF roles.  The University has agreed to advertise these positions in the coming weeks.  The NTEU will be keeping an eye on the roles, but we are happy to say that up to 32 people will now have a more secure and better footing in the University Sector.

Your union fought hard to get this clause into the Agreement and has had to fight equally hard to have the University implement the Clause.  The University made no movement to implement these roles over the first 2 years of the Agreement; it was not until the NTEU actively took this matter up with the two Deputy Vice Chancellors in the second half of last year that we found some success.  In pursuit of this matter, we have written numerous correspondences and tabled the issue at regular Implementation meetings. Most recently we have held three meetings with the DVC’s.

Teaching Focused Roles

The NTEU, through member support and negotiation also had TFR’s inserted into the 2009 Agreement.  These positions, Clauses 12 (37 – 44) of the Agreement, provide the opportunity of conversion for all Academic Casual Staff teaching more than 8 hours per session to fixed term employment.  Fixed term employment provides more secure and employment and includes both Annual and Sick leave payments.

We have successfully secured more secure employment for approximately 40 people at UWS thus far– the University has refused to implement the clause for a large number of staff.

Similar to the CDF’s, we have held a number of meetings with the two DVC’s, but unlike the CDF’s we have not had the same success. TFR were very difficult to get into the UWS Agreement and it has proved even more difficult to get the University to implement these roles.  Your union has been actively pursuing this matter for over twelve months. The NTEU has now lodged this matter as a dispute in Fair Work Australia (FWA).  We are listed for our first conciliation conference on Tuesday 28 February.