BY JEREMY SMITH
MELBOURNE — While there might not have been any students on campus, a battle has raged during the summer break at Melbourne University between staff, who are demanding a better deal in their upcoming enterprise agreement, and management, which is unwilling to give any ground.
A 25 month stand-off between the university administration and the main staff union, the National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU), reached a head in December when unionists began bans on the processing and transmission of student results. The bans were imposed after strikes in September 1999 and October 2000 failed to force management to concede ground.
In response, management stood down 17 staff members who supported the bans and threatened to stand down 70 more.
The bans showed up divisions within the Melbourne University Student Union. While outgoing student union president Ben Cass expressed public opposition to the NTEU's actions, other office-bearers backed staff and student activists attending a December meeting of the National Broad Left held a brief solidarity sit-in in the administration's offices.
Mass meetings on December 18 and 19 voted to lift the bans and begin plans for a campaign of strategic bans in 2001. An open members committee has also been formed.
The campaign begins on January 19 with a public protest at Welcome Day. The NTEU has called on students, staff and other unions to support the protest. A strike is planned for March 7, as is a publicity campaign directed at students during Orientation Week.