Union members sacked at NMIT
By Maurice Sibelle
MELBOURNE <<197> Management at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE sacked three active union members from the VCE/Communications Studies Department on April 11. The three teachers — Ron Davis, Alison Thorne and Mark Wilson — were all active members of the Australian Education Union NMIT sub-branch.
Alison Thorne, who is president of the sub-branch, says, "The retrenchments are a shabby union-busting exercise. There is plenty of suitable teaching work for us to do. The institute employed nine new casual teachers to teach classes we were teaching last year."
Delia Maxwell, secretary of the sub-branch, argues that the retrenchments were unlawful. "All of those who lost their jobs were following a union bans campaign last year when the excess was declared. The sub-branch cannot accept these retrenchments because they are punitive and discriminatory as well as not being genuine."
She argues that the retrenchments are "part of an ongoing campaign of workplace intimidation and harassment designed to crush all dissent in the lead-up to the expiry of a local conditions agreement at the end of 1997".
The AEU sub-branch will stop work from noon to 3pm on Wednesday, April 30, to protest against the retrenchment of the three, who were permanent teachers in the department. Union members will participate in a public rally at 12.30pm at the Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre, corner of St Georges Road and Bell Street, Preston.
The rally will also be attended by union delegations from other TAFE institutes, students and members of the public concerned about the discriminatory nature of the retrenchments.
Student union president Earl Henderson pledged his support for the teachers. "The management is rationalising courses and ruthlessly cutting back the conditions of teachers. The quality of education at NMIT is suffering. Students and teachers have to unite their efforts to stop the management from turning NMIT into a profit making enterprise rather than an educational institution."