Canterbury Branch monthly update, July 2007

In this update:

• Collective Agreement Ratification Ballot
• Kiwisaver: UC approved as exempt employer
• Helen Kelly’s election as President of the NZCTU
• National bargaining Ballot
• College of Science Plan
• College of Arts: BA review
• Local Government Elections
• Hospital Workers Lockout

Collective Agreement Ratification Ballot

The ballot to ratify the collective agreements is now underway. If anyone has not received a ballot paper by Monday 16 July they should contact the branch office immediately. A newsletter has also been sent to all members and the same information can be viewed on line at: http://www.aus.ac.nz/Current/bargaining/ToS.asp

Kiwisaver: UC approved as exempt employer

The University of Canterbury has been approved by the Government Actuary as an exempt employer with effect from 1 July 2007.

The University of Canterbury has been notified by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellor's Committee that the NZUSS has been approved by the Government Actuary as a complying superannuation fund with effect from 6 June; and that the seven New Zealand universities and 3 associated bodies (including Canterprise) have been approved as exempt employers from 1 July 2007.

What this means is that the University of Canterbury is exempt from the automatic enrolment provisions of the KiwiSaver legislation for new UC employees, however new UC staff employed after 30 June 2007 and who are existing KiwiSaver members on joining the university will be subject to automatic KiwiSaver deductions from their salary or wage. For more information visit: http://www.intranet.canterbury.ac.nz/hr/super/index.shtml

How work-life balance builds employee engagement

What support do fathers need from workplaces? Open the attached Work & Life Bulletin for research on what fathers want and how workplaces can help them get it. This Bulletin also includes summaries of recent Australian and UK research on caring responsibilities, flexible working options and the effects of work on relationships. And find out about the EEO Trust’s symposium, The Diversity Effect¸being held on Thursday 30 August before the EEO Trust Work & Life Awards presentation dinner.
http://www.eeotrust.org.nz/content/docs/newsletters/EEO%20Trust%20Newsletter%20July%202007.pdf

Helen Kelly’s election as President of the NZCTU

Helen Kelly, General Secretary of the Association of University Staff, is the only nominee for President of the New Zealand Council of Trades Unions. She will take over from Ross Wilson at the organisation's biennial conference in October this year; Ross is stepping down after two terms.

Congratulating Helen on her forthcoming election to the NZCTU presidency, AUS National President, Professor Nigel Haworth, said that she is admirably equipped to fill the role played so well by Ross Wilson for the last eight years.

Professor Haworth said that Helen had brought remarkable energy, commitment and intelligence to the AUS and that those qualities would be invaluable in her new and wider contribution to New Zealand workers and trades unions. “Helen has provided dynamic and visionary leadership to AUS over the last five years, and she has been instrumental in the union's national bargaining process and tripartite discussions with the Government, the latter resulting in significant levels of new funding for universities,” he said.

AUS Deputy Secretary, Nanette Cormack, will act as General Secretary when Helen Kelly takes up the NZCTU presidency.

College of Arts BA review

The Faculty of Arts met on Wednesday 11 July to discuss the BA review. We are pleased to report that it was a lively meeting, reflecting the intense interest of members in the BA review and consistent with the hard work many are doing to make the review a success. The resounding message from Faculty is that the process has been a great success to date, but to rush it to a premature conclusion would be a mistake. Members of Faculty need to be heard completely, because they are critical for the BA’s conception and success. Much is to be gained from another round of consultation and submission, and University management need to relax their anxious timeline to get this important review right.
https://intranet.canterbury.ac.nz/arts/artsfuture/GG%20BA%20Review%20Report.pdf

Send your views on the BA review process to Aditya Malik at
aditya.malik@canterbury.ac.nz or Jack Heinemann at jack.heinemann@canterbury.ac.nz.

College of Science

The PVC Science held a forum to discuss the next iteration of the College of Science Plan. Elements of the Plan have changed in response to the previous round of consultation. It remains unclear why this Plan has so many long-term elements, such as staff demographics, when it is advertised as focusing on short to medium term financial issues. AUS was critical of the terms of reference of the College review because we do not feel that they capture the key elements of concern to our members, namely the history of decisions made by the PVC that have had large and legacy effects on finances.
https://intranet.canterbury.ac.nz/arts/artsfuture/GG%20BA%20Review%20Report.pdf

Send your views on the College of Science plan to David Small at
david.small@canterbury.ac.nz or Jack Heinemann at jack.heinemann@canterbury.ac.nz .

Local body elections: why vote?

International studies show that the more people participate in their communities, the more successful those communities become. But if voter turnout at local elections is a measure of New Zealanders’ involvement in their communities, then many communities will be losing out.

While New Zealanders’ turnout at general elections is relatively high, in the last local election of 2004 only 46 percent of eligible voters voted.

This is despite the fact that local bodies are responsible for a vast range of services to promote the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of our communities. Whether it is arranging public transport, providing piped water, maintaining streets and parks, or regulating land use, the impact of local body decisions is often far more immediate and visible than that of national decisions.

Whatever reasons people give for not voting, they are not doing themselves or their communities any favours by not exercising their right.

For starters, if voters don’t vote, those elected cannot claim a strong mandate, making it more difficult for leaders to lead. It is less likely that issues will get the vigorous debates they deserve; and there is more risk of decisions being made ¬¬that most people – the “silent majority” – don’t agree with. They could be decisions that affect the value of your house, the safety of your neighbourhood, or any number of things that impact on you and your family’s quality of life.

The many examples of good work and leadership provided by local authorities have happened despite the lack of participation by many in the community. The next local body elections, in October, are an opportunity for New Zealanders to give their communities a better chance of success.
http://www.bowlingalone.com/

Hospital Workers Lockout

The SFWU initiated bargaining with 16 District Health Boards and for a National Public Hospital MECA for nearly 3000 orderlies, food service workers, cleaners and home support workers in June 2006.

Two weeks ago we reached a proposed agreement with the DHBs that gives our members a start rate of $14.25/hour and restores many of the conditions that they lost in the 1990s. We also reached agreement with three of the contractors to proposed agreements that are based on an agreed framework that includes the same wages, penal rates, overtime rates and term.

One of the contractors, Australian-owned Spotless Services, has rejected this framework and wants to go through a separate negotiation process in which their aim is to get a competitive advantage over their fellow contractors. They have said that they will give existing staff the same pay rates as the DHBs and other contractors, but new staff will get less.

The SFWU is opposed to giving a subsidy to Spotless, the company that pays the lowest rates of pay in the public hospital system. We issued notices of limited strike action and Spotless replied with lockout notices (including South Canterbury). The demand of their lockouts is that the union maintains enough union members at work during our strikes to make them ineffective.

We are seeking support for our pickets outside hospitals in these areas. We are also raising money to support them to withstand the Spotless bullying and would appreciate any contributions from NZCTU affiliates.

We have also set up 0900 LOCKOUT (0900 56256) for individual contributions of $10.00.
http://sfwu.org.nz/