Union to apply to take industrial action against Deakin University over staff workload, pay

Left with “no choice”, the Deakin branch of the National Tertiary Education Union will apply to take industrial action against the university imminently.

NTEU Deakin branch president Dr Piper Rodd said the union had “no choice” but to seek to take industrial action. Picture: Supplied

Deakin University’s union branch has applied to take industrial action against the educator amid an ongoing dispute about wages and workload.

The Deakin branch of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has been in discussions with the university since October, 2022, about the Enterprise Agreement (EA) which contains terms and conditions of employment, including wages.

NTEU Deakin branch president Dr Piper Rodd, who also teaches at the university, said the two main issues union members felt needed to be addressed by the university were workload and pay.

She said the union nationally was asking for a five per cent increase of wages.

She said to date university management had rejected “everything”.

Dr Rodd said it had been a “brutal” time for staff at Deakin University with job cuts and heavier workloads. Picture: Supplied

“We have no choice but to seek to take industrial action … to be taken seriously,” Dr Rodd said.

“The feeling from (union) members is that people feel pretty demoralised and pretty disrespected by Deakin management.

“It’s been a brutal time for us.

“(We) feel taken for granted.”

Dr Rodd said the NTEU branch would apply to Fair Work to take protected industrial action “imminently”.

Industrial action can take several forms, including employees going on strike or imposing work bans.

The application will be submitted to Fair Work for approval, and during the process Deakin can object.

The motion to take action will be put to a member vote, which Dr Rodd said was hoped to occur in April.

Dr Rodd said she was surprised the university management wasn’t addressing staff concerns.

“Especially with all the stuff in the news about inflation … and people struggling to make ends meet, I’m surprised,” she said.

“We really would invite management to take this opportunity to mend those bridges … with staff who feel taken advantage of.”

Deakin’s chief people and culture officer Stacey Walton said the university was continuing to bargain in good faith.

She said a further meeting was scheduled for Friday.

“After a few challenging years for our staff, we are committed to finalising an EA that recognises and rewards our workforce with proposed benefits such as salary increases and improved options for leave,” Ms Walton said.

It comes as a wage theft dispute concerning casual staff at the university continues.

NTEU Deakin branch organiser Dr Jack Kirne, who teaches at the university, said they were seeking to convert 50 casual staff to full time equivalent roles.

In June, 2022, the Geelong Advertiser reported the university could be forced to pay out millions in backpay as a result of the dispute.

Dr Kirne said the case was currently before Fair Work, with another hearing scheduled for the week of March 6.

He said the union was hoping to reach a settlement “in the next few months”.

Originally published as Union to apply to take industrial action against Deakin University over staff workload, pay