Settlement at Canterbury

(with apologies for the lack of updates; your contributor has been on leave).

As stated in the Tertiary Update of September 8,

Union members at the University of Canterbury yesterday ratified the settlement of their four main collective agreements, bringing to an end several months of industrial disruption. Union members will receive a salary increase of 5 percent from 1 August, with 2.75 percent backdated to 1 May.
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The Association of University Staff (AUS) Canterbury Branch President, Dr David Small, said that, through their collective efforts including successful strike action, staff had shifted the University from its original offer of 3.25 percent, and into agreeing to a national process for future salary discussions. Union members had also been successful in putting the issue of salaries on the political agenda. “It has always been our view that the resolution of the salary problems facing the sector would be through a political as well as industrial process. The agreement we have reached places an enforceable obligation on the vice-chancellors collectively to give the salary issue a high priority in the tripartite process; use their best endeavours to develop, agree and implement sustainable solutions to providing fair and competitive salaries; and to implement, as appropriate, agreed outcomes into collective agreements.”
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More details of the settlement were spelled out in the latest branch newsletter.

The main points are:

• The term of the agreement will be from 1 May 2005 to 30 April 2006.


• A 2.75% increase in salaries, effective from 1 May 2005, and a further 2.25% effective 1 August 2005. The salary rates will remain effective until 31 October 2006. Any agreed salary increases arising from the Tripartite Forum will, however, be incorporated into the agreements, as appropriate, by way of variation.


• The insertion of a number of enforceable points from the Universities Umbrella Agreement ensuring that the parties will work actively and constructively through the University Tripartite Forum to:

  Ensure the issue of competitive and fair salaries for all university staff is given a high priority in the Tripartite Forum work plan
  Use best endeavours to develop and agree and implement sustainable solutions to providing fair and competitive salaries
  Implement, as appropriate, agreed outcomes from the Tripartite Forum into collective agreements



• The insertion of an “employee protection clause” required by the Employment Relations Act to set out the rights and obligations of staff and the employer in cases of sale, transfer or contracting out.


• An amendment to the sick leave provisions allowing the employer to require (at its expense) medical certificates where the employer considers, on reasonable grounds, that the sick leave is not genuine (consistent with the legislative provision)


• Minor amendments to the academic study leave provision to change the line of reporting from the human Resources Director to the relevant Pro Vice-Chancellor, and to provide that study leave eligibility is not subject to contingent liability accounting.


• The employer’s substantive claims (claw backs) are to be referred to a working party. The working party will also examine the trades group salaries and conditions of employment.


• Current or pending litigation on bargaining issues to be withdrawn or discontinued

The actual details (the wording agreed) of the proposed settlement can be viewed here.

Staff were represented at the local negotiations by David Small (Education), Robyn Daly (Psychology) and Marty Braithwaite from AUS, Mike Chaney from the PSA, Wayne Ruscoe from EPMU and Dave O’Connell and Mike Stevenson from the Building Trades Union.