Combined University Unions Collective Employment Agreements Proposed settlement report back meetings June 2007

Agenda

• Background
• Tripartite Forum Progress
• Bargaining Context
• Proposed national minimum settlements, plus details of proposed local settlements if available
• Process from here
• Resolution

Brief history of the world (or at least our world!)

• 2004/05 - First MECA campaign
• National campaign, national pressure on VCs to co-operate and government to engage
• Moved away from local solution
• Umbrella, tripartite result
• 2006 tripartite discussions results in national pay agreement

What did we win – 2006?

• Acknowledgement government part of solution – strong message on academic salaries
• Ongoing commitment – umbrella agreement & tripartite process
• Pay increases partly funded from new government money
  • 4% to 5.5% for general staff
  • 6% to 7.5% for academics

Tripartite II

• February 2007- members confirm support for broader agenda
• Salaries and funding
• Governance
• The employment of general staff
• Common terms and conditions

Tripartite work programme

• Agreement to work on general staff issues
  • Productivity – working group established
• No agreement on governance
  • looking at wider public sector initiative
• Examine strengthening cooperation among universities
• Sustainable approaches to university funding & resourcing that will deliver enhanced quality & performance
• $20 million announced in budget, 3:1 split
  • ($46 million for salaries over two years – inflation adjusted)

Employment of general staff

• Government’s productivity agenda
• Not efficiency
• Building skills, opportunities & workforce development
• Public value concepts
• Could cost more – but more for dollar
• Seminars to be run
• Local initiatives needed

Salaries

• 2007 bargaining outcomes
• Feb meetings confirmed that last year’s approach be followed – pay to be discussed nationally
• Pressures of public sector bargaining a reality
• $20 million from Govt agreed for salaries 3:1 split

MECA (Multi-employer, multi-union)

• Long-term goal of unions
• Legislation not as supportive as should be
• National bargaining effective
• Forces all to engage together
• Umbrella powerful – used by Progressive
• Delivering national settlements of local collectives

What is happening out there?

• The Labour Cost Index
  • 3.2% in year to March 2007
    • 3.0% in the private sector
    • 3.7% in the public sector
• CPI Year to March 2007 2.5%
• Predicted CPI 2008 - 2.5%

More labour market info

• State Sector bargaining 2008
  • School support staff 3%
  • Teachers claiming 4% - no offer
  • Nurses – funding track 2.8%
• General staff in hospitals – 2.5%
• Core public sector settlements ranging from 3% (admin) to 5% (some occupational groups)

National bargaining outcomes

• 2005
  • Victoria 4%
  • Waikato & Massey 4.5% (split over time)
  • Auckland 4.5% plus $300 one-off payment
  • Lincoln 4.7% (split over time)
  • Canterbury (split over time) 5%
  • Otago 5%


• 2006

  	Acad	Gen
  Victoria	7.5%	4.5%
  Waikato	6.5%	4.5%
  Massey	6.0%	4.0%
  Auckland	7.5%	5.5%
  Lincoln	6.0%	4.2%
  Canterbury	7.0%	5.0%
  Otago	7.5%	5.0%

  
  

Proposed nationally-agreed, local settlements 2007

• Site agreements, based on nationally agreed minimums
• Common term – 30 June 2008
• Re-sign umbrella agreement
• Tripartite forum work programme
• Tripartite money divided 3:1 ratio
  • 0.73% general staff
  • 2.2% academic staff
• Payable from 1 July 2007
• Minimum university contribution
  • 3% (Auckland exception) payable from last years agreed date

National bargaining outcomes

• 2007
• Canterbury General Staff 3.73%
• Canterbury Academic 5.5%

Bargaining team recommending

• Agree local settlements
• Roll over agreements with at least minimum provisions
• Send for ratification by members.
• Problem-solving local claims

What next?

• Finalise agreements at each university
• If endorsed, send for ratification by postal ballot
• Problem-solving local claims/issues
• Agreed changes to be included in collective agreements by variation
• Reality of bargaining local claims

Why vote yes

• National process preserved
• Settlement above inflation and other pay deals
• Partially funded by government
• Good programme for tripartite forum
• Allows for further progress next year
• Removes employer pressure for local bargaining
• Local claims can include those from employer

Resolution

• That members of the combined unions at this meeting endorse the proposal that, subject to each university signing settlements that at least reflect the minimum agreements outlined at this meeting, the settlements be put to members for ratification