Dear staff,
I am writing to let you know that from Thursday 1 September, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has advised they will take protected industrial action at UQ.
During this time, the campus and its facilities will remain open, noting that some staff may choose to stop work or not participate in some work activities.
Prioritising a new Enterprise Agreement and wage increases
Earlier this month, I made a commitment to staff that we would work towards finalising a new Enterprise Agreement (EA) as soon as possible.
To help fast-track the negotiations, we have increased the frequency of our meetings, and meeting dates for the coming months have been confirmed. Senior UQ executives, including the Provost, Professor Aidan Byrne, are attending these meetings, and at last week’s meeting, both parties shared their latest logs of claims for review and consideration.
I understand the need for certainty on wage increases, an issue that I know is critical for our staff in the current environment. I want to assure staff that we are committed to bargaining in good faith, in order to agree sustainable wage increases for the term of our new EA. This will be in addition to the 2 per cent pay increase provided in January. In the meantime, we continue to operate under the terms of our previous agreement.
Contingency planning
The NTEU has indicated that protected industrial action at universities will continue over the coming month. In preparation, I want to ensure staff understand how the process works.
Staff are not required to advise UQ if they intend to participate in protected industrial action. However, under the Fair Work Act, staff who participate cannot be paid for the time taken off. For this reason, we ask that staff participating in industrial action record their time off in Workday by selecting “Absent to Undertake Strike Action”.
It would also be greatly appreciated if staff could consider advising their supervisor/manager in advance so that impacts on teaching and research can be understood.
Those choosing not to participate in protected industrial action can attend work as normal.
Staff who require further information or advice should email our HR team on askhr@uq.edu.au.
I want to acknowledge that industrial action is not something that any of us want, and it is disappointing that we have not been able to avoid this happening. Nevertheless, I know that finalising a new financially sustainable EA as soon as possible is a priority and something we are all committed to make happen.
We will continue to keep staff updated on the EA discussions as we move forward.
With best wishes
Debbie
