UWS campuses are open, classes are running as timetabled

The University has been advised that some UWS National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members will participate in a one-hour stoppage of work today from 12.00pm to 1.00pm.

 

All UWS campuses are open, and it will be business as usual at the University. All classes will be held as scheduled, unless lecturers or tutors have directly advised students that they will be participating in this industrial action.

 

The decision to pursue industrial action was made by a small number of the University's staff community, with the vast majority of staff not participating in industrial action. Only NTEU members are eligible to take protected industrial action.

 

The University is deeply disappointed that the NTEU have decided to continue industrial action that could disrupt student learning and university operations, and unfairly target the University's more than 40,000 students.

 

The University worked hard to finalise negotiations and come to agreement with the Unions before the end of 2013.

 

Whilst agreement was not reached, the University and Unions were close to finalising a 'Heads of Agreement', which would see bargaining completed early this year.

 

To acknowledge the progress made on the agreements to date, recognise the mutual desire to finalise an agreement and, most importantly, to recognise the contributions of staff the University honoured its offer of a $1500 'signing-on' payment earlier this year to all eligible ongoing and fixed-term staff members.