BY TERRICA STRUDWICK
ROCKHAMPTON Central Queensland University (CQU) Student Association staff, along with the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), has been fighting for an enterprise agreement since last May. Top management refuse to even consider, let alone negotiate, an agreement.
A union taskforce, comsisting of NTEU representative Leah Cencig and two staff members, was set up in May last year to negotiate with CQU general manager Ian Bone and board president Gary McMurtrie. After the initial consultations, Bone and McMurtrie refused to go any further and have refused all communication with the NTEU.
Industrial action was taken on August 24. Workers who took part were subsequently intimidated. This has caused a lot of staff members to be concerned about their employment should more action be taken in support of their enterprise agreement. Further strike action has been avoided because of the intimidation and not to disadvantage the students.
Nevertheless, staff want an enterprise agreement that improves their working conditions and wages. Green Left Weekly spoke to a staff member, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.
No-one knows who earns what or who is on individual contracts or employed full-time. Management encourages these things to be kept secret so the workers will not complain, organise and take action.
CQU Student Association staff are being drastically underpaid in comparison to the university's 10-level pay structure, the staff member told Green Left Weekly. However, management claim the Student Association staff are not education providers, so they should not be paid according to the same pay structure. This is despite the fact that job descriptions being very similar, and in some instances the same.
Staff are also overused. Many workers are currently performing duties outside their job descriptions. One worker described how staff members had to be a jack of all trades.
Staff at CQU Student Association want to be paid appropriately and appreciated for the job they provide to the 18,000 students at CQU. They want an end to dangerous working conditions, intimidation and the threat of losing their jobs just for trying to get a better deal.
From Green Left Weekly, April 24, 2002.
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