Bargaining at Murdoch
Murdoch Bargaining Summary
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Previous Staff Agreement lapsed: 31 December 2021
Bargaining for the next Staff Agreement commenced 16 June 2023
All Member Meeting Thursday 29 June 2023
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NTEU Murdoch Branch members showed up for today's All Member Meeting eager to know how the long-delayed bargaining for the next Staff Agreement is progressing.
If you weren't able to attend today's NTEU Murdoch Branch All Member Meeting, please download the presentation slides to get up to speed.
The slides detail the clauses given to you by senior management for consultation and the clauses that your union has put to management.
Please email your feedback to murdoch@nteu.org.au and your bargaining team will compile the responses and present members' views to management when these clauses are next discussed.
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The best way to participate in the bargaining process is to be an active member of the NTEU.
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Not yet a member?
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13 June 2023: Bargaining at Murdoch has begun!
The first bargaining meeting for the next Murdoch Staff Agreement was held on Tuesday 13 June 2023 between the NTEU Murdoch Branch bargaining team and members of Murdoch University senior management.
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Already a small win!
We've already seen progress from the first meeting following a review of the NTEU Murdoch Branch Log of Claims with senior management agreeing to amend the professional staff reclassification clause, bringing it into line with the corresponding clause that applies to academic staff promotion.
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Murdoch professional staff, like their academic colleagues, can now re-apply for reclassification after 12 months. Prior to this, professional staff could only apply for reclassification once (See Clause 17.3 of the current Murdoch Staff Agreement).
Bargaining started officially with a smoking ceremony led by Whadjuk, Wilman, Kaneang Noongar man, Alton Walley.
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Alton explained the purpose of the smoke, and the cultural importance of permissions bestowed on him to perform the ceremony on behalf of his family and elders. Participants were welcome but not obligated to pass through the smoke created from wetted peppermint leaves to take on the cultural safety the leaves provide.
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From L-R: Prof Jennifer Verduin (PVC, College of Environmental & Life Sciences), Dr Lydia Wells (Acting President, NTEU Murdoch Branch), Prof Guillermo Campitelli (PVC, Health and Education), Stuart Venables (NTEU Murdoch Branch Organiser), Jon Prince (NTEU Murdoch Branch Committee Member), Denise Mercer (NTEU WA Division Industrial Officer), Dr Cathy Moore (NTEU WA Division Secretary), Sharon Russell (Chief People Officer, Murdoch University), Prof Andrew Deeks (Vice Chancellor, Murdoch University), Ian McKernan (NTEU Murdoch Branch Committee Member), John Hill (Senior Employee Relations Manager, Murdoch University)
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NTEU WA Division Secretary Dr Cathy Moore spoke of the welcomed opportunity to engage in authentic bargaining at Murdoch University and re-stated the Union’s intention to seek the best possible conditions for all Murdoch staff.
Murdoch VC Professor Andrew Deeks outlined how the bargaining process would be underpinned by the three pillars of Murdoch University's strategic plan: an emphasis on First Nations; equity, diversity and inclusion; and sustainability.
The role of the NTEU Murdoch Branch bargaining will be to advocate for all Murdoch staff and make sure that senior management upholds the rhetoric of Vice Chancellor Deeks.
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We will ensure that a flagship agreement is reached that benefits all staff at Murdoch and restores the trust that has been lost through the actions of previous senior management regimes.
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The best way to participate in the bargaining process is to be an active member of the NTEU.
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Not yet a member?
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the country on which we live and work, and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We also acknowledge that this land was stolen, that a treaty or agreement for use of these lands is yet to be negotiated, and that a process of truth-telling is long overdue. As a union, NTEU commits to walking in solidarity to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in their struggles for justice, reparations and compensation.
©2023 National Tertiary Education Union of Australia
Authorised by Dr Catherine Moore, Division Secretary
National Tertiary Education Union WA Division, Level 3/27 Railway Road, Subiaco WA 6008 Noongar Boodja
p: 0447 300 668 | e: wa@nteu.org.au
NTEU National: nteu.au