CPSU Professional Staff 19.10.17

UTS Update on Academic Strike 19/10/17

Members of the academics’ union, the NTEU at University of Technology, Sydney are taking industrial action on Thursday 19 October over issues such as teaching only roles for academics.
CPSU NSW members (and staff who are not members of a union) are not protected to take industrial action under the Fair Work Act.
Only members of the academics’ union are entitled to take protected industrial action for that day.
This means all other staff, including CPSU NSW members, are required to either report for work on Thursday 19 October or to have reasonable grounds for not attending work that day.
Please contact your local CPSU NSW delegate or CPSU NSW Industrial Officer to find out more about this.
CPSU NSW members have not yet voted for protected industrial action and therefore CPSU NSW members are required to report to work.
Your CPSU NSW bargaining team will continue to aggressively pursue the bargaining agenda as decided by CPSU NSW members and will report back to members on the progress of bargaining.

Three reasons why the CPSU NSW is not taking industrial action now

1. CPSU NSW members are committed to our Log of Claims.

The CPSU NSW conducted extensive consultation with members to develop our Log of Claims that details professional staff priorities for UTS. This has lead our bargaining strategy and the CPSU NSW remains committed to it.

2. Negotiations are progressing

CPSU NSW members have not yet voted for protected industrial action and therefore CPSU NSW members are required to report to work.  Your Professional Staff Bargaining Team continues to negotiate in good faith, and while progress is slow it has not yet come to stalemate.
The University has already agreed to maternity leave for the primary carer, regardless of gender; 5 days of leave for NAIDOC week and paying trainees under the Professional Staff Enterprise Agreement.
The University has also agreed to consider a working from home clause and an allowance for Health and Safety Representatives. Your Professional Staff Bargaining Team is working hard to progress members’ claims and will be in discussions with members over the coming weeks to see if members’ are interested in industrial action at this stage.

3. Unprotected Industrial Action is illegal

CPSU members, along with the entire trade union movement, successfully campaigned against WorkChoices because it threatened our rights at work. Unfortunately, the WorkChoices era industrial action laws are retained in the Fair Work Act. This means that unless you were part of the vote on protected industrial action then you are not protected in taking industrial action, meaning that the full weight of industrial relations law and University disciplinary action can be used against you.

Authorised by Stewart Little, State Branch Secretary, Community and Public Sector Union (SPSF Group), NSW Branch
Please do not reply to this email address. The PSANews email account is not monitored.
For membership inquiries, please email membership@psa.asn.au

Petition: Defend union rights at UTS; lift suspension of NTEU President

I am posting this petition on behalf of the CPSU delegates who are also involved with bargaining @ uts who are concerned that bargaining in good faith has been brought into question with these actions against the NTEU President by the University. 

We encourage all our CPSU members to sign the petition please click on the link below.

Since I posted this further support has been called from Unions NSW!

NTEU Lecture 2013_3599 (Photo credit: NTEU Flickr)

Petition: Defend union rights at UTS; lift suspension of NTEU President

Posted 11 December 2013 by Emma Clancy (University of Technology Sydney)

In an extraordinary move, University management yesterday suspended NTEU Branch President Simon Wade by handing him a letter in the corridor, alleging serious misconduct. This happened after Simon had responded to a management directive to meet with only two hours notice by requesting a reasonable time frame to meet in order to arrange an NTEU support person, and requesting advice as to the nature of the meeting. 

This move comes after months of Simon being targeted in his workplace due to his involvement in enterprise bargaining on behalf of UTS staff. These attacks led to a hearing in the Fair Work Commission in September where protocols were established to provide for Simon’s attendance at the bargaining table. Despite these protocols the attacks continued unabated.

Staff and elected officials at the NTEU Branch and Division level are working to support Simon in refuting these allegations and to challenge the broader attack on the rights of members at UTS to be active in the NTEU. The work that is being done by Simon, and other people like Simon, to defend staff conditions against management’s attempt to avoid fair process and procedures, and remove any accountability for its decision making, is vital to ensuring UTS is a workplace where staff are treated with respect.  But we need all members to take action.

Please take two minutes to join with your colleagues and sign the online petition which demands that UTS follow the proper process in relation to Simon’s case - including lifting his suspension while the allegations are investigated - and that UTS respect the right of staff to organise in a trade union. Please also encourage member and non-member colleagues to sign.

There has never been a more important time to come together and stand up to management.

Now more than ever it is vital for UTS Professional staff to join together to stand up for your rights, if you are not already a member join today (https://membership.psa.asn.au/join/)

NTEU Media release for public inquiry

National Tertiary Education Union

"The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is calling for a public inquiry, following yesterday's fire and collapse of a construction crane at the University of Technology Sydney. "

“A small fire on the platform of the crane very quickly became an uncontrollable inferno. On the site below steel fixers continued to work. Workers from the site said they were instructed by their supervisor not to stop work. There was no evidence of an emergency system in place – no audible alert or siren and no evidence of an organised evacuation. Workers continued to stay on site even as fire brigade and emergency services arrived. It was truly horrifying.”

Additional information is being sought by Workcover.

WorkCover is seeking any information about the state of the crane prior to its collapse. This can be provided by contacting WorkCover on 13 10 50.

www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-03/tests-begin-on-crane-after-dramatic-collapse/4404084

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