Question 1

Expiry Date: Claims 1 and 2

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

1. That the Agreement operates from the date of its approval and has a nominal expiry date of 31 December 2024.
2. The parties will commence negotiations for a replacement Agreement no later than six months prior to the nominal expiry date of this Agreement, unless otherwise agreed.

Fixing clear, definite dates in the new Agreement will prevent delays in future rounds of bargaining.

Question 2

Job Security: Claims 3 - 10

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:
3. That to mitigate against the negative impact of repetitious and 		disruptive change management on university staff, no individual be subject to an organisational change process more than once during the life of the Agreement.
4. Improved organisational change, redeployment, and redundancy provisions.
5. That the Agreement place lawful conditions and requirements on the outsourcing of work or use of contractors to perform work that a staff member, or future staff member covered by the Agreement is
capable of performing.
In relation to permanent staff:
6. That retrenchment, including voluntary retrenchment, only occur where the work performed in the position is no longer required to be performed by anyone. (ongoing)

In relation to fixed-term staff:
7. A right to conversion to permanent employment after two years’ continuous service or two successive contracts. (fixed-term)
8. Improved severance provisions for fixed term staff.
In relation to casual staff:
9. A requirement that the University organise work to minimise casual employment and only use casual employment to perform short term ad hoc work.
10. Improved conversion rights.

UWA staff deserve secure work, whether through protection from sham redundancies and outsourcing; or strong, enforceable rights for conversion from insecure work.

Question 3

Safe and Sustainable Workloads: Claims 11 - 17

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

11. Protections against work intensification resulting from organisational change.
12. Protections against work intrusion outside of working hours.
13. Ordinary hours to be no more than 36.75 hours per week during the span 8:00am-6:00pm Monday to Friday.
In relation to academic staff:
14. Improved workload models & allocations.
15. Effective hours-linked caps on academic workload.
In relation to ELICOS & Professional & General staff:
16. Protections against excessive or un-compensated overtime.
17. Improved workload review provisions.

Workloads must be fair, equitable, safe and sustainable – pure and simple.

Question 4

Rights for Casual Staff: Claims 18 - 28

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:
18. Paid personal leave for all casual staff.
19. A requirement that casual staff are to be invited to information and consultation meetings regarding organisational change, and be paid for their attendance.
20. Recognition of casual service for the purposes of long service leave.
21. Improved provisions for overtime for casuals.
22. Paid induction.
23. Improved notice of termination provisions.

In relation to Academic staff:
24. Casuals to be paid by the hour at the applicable rate for every hour worked, including hours worked except where covered by the “rolled up” pay rates for tutoring and lecturing.
25. Appropriate definitions of work subject to rolled up rates for tutoring, lecturing and other academic work, including having this reflected in the casual rates of pay.
26. Limits on the use of recorded lectures.

In relation to ELICOS & Professional & General staff:
27. Improved minimum provisions.

In relation to Professional & General staff:
28. Remove 80% salary cap for students employed as Casual Employees in the University

Casuals are the most marginalised group of staff across the higher education sector. They deserve conditions that protect their jobs, pay, wellbeing and work-life balance.

Question 5

Strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment: Claims 29 - 35

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

29. That the Agreement provide for an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander employment target of equal to 4.0% of all staff on a head count basis by 31 December 2024.
30. Increased Cultural and / or Ceremonial Leave. Increase to 5 paid and 10 days unpaid.
31. An additional 5 days paid Special leave for Community events such as NAIDOC and other cultural events.
32. An Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Language Allowance.
33. An allowance and specific workload model / allocation for Cultural Load.
34. Recognition of Aboriginality as a genuine occupational qualification.
35. Access to culturally appropriate counselling and other relevant support services.

There is still a long way to go to ensure that the university sector is a truly inclusive and supportive place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Setting clear employment targets and appropriate cultural supports are important steps on the way.

Question 6

Academic Freedom: Claim 36

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

36. That the Agreement protect academic freedom in accordance with the rights in international instruments and protect and promote the rights and freedoms of staff members to comment and engage in public debate, including a debate on the operation and governance of the University.

Academic freedom is fundamental to academic work. In our last round of bargaining we secured intellectual freedom protections for Professional and General and ELICOS staff, too, and these wins must be protected.

Question 7

Equitable Superannuation: Claims 37 and 38

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

37. Maintaining UniSuper as the default superannuation fund to the extent permitted by legislation.
38. 17% employer superannuation contribution for all employees including casual employees.

In our last round of bargaining we won 17% super for all UWA staff on fixed term and ongoing contracts (before then you got the national minimum for two years before qualifying for the higher rate). Now it’s time to win better super for casuals.

Question 8

Support for Parenting and Breastfeeding: Claims 39 - 41

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

39. Review and update terminology under the Parental Leave clause.
40. Improved partner leave and parental leave conditions.
41. Paid lactation breaks and an entitlement to safe, secure and private breastfeeding facilities, including access to safe, sanitary and local refrigeration.

UWA once had very competitive entitlements for working parents, but other large employers and industries have overtaken us. It’s time to take the lead again.

Question 9

Health, Wellbeing and Work-Life Balance: Claims 42 - 49

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

42. Paid Pandemic/Infectious Diseases Leave.
43. Paid family and domestic violence leave.
44. Improved long service leave provisions.
45. Restrict University’s capacity to direct staff to use accrued and unaccrued leave for shut-downs.
46. Improved compassionate leave provisions.
47. Include Easter Sunday in Public Holiday clause.
48. Improved working from home provisions.
49. That the Agreement provide for a total of 30 days paid gender transition leave per annum for gender affirmation procedures, inclusive but not limited to medical, psychological, surgical, legal status documentation amendment appointments.

We love our work, but our time with our families, pets and gardens is precious; and our health and wellbeing are essential. It is time for leave entitlements that fit with who we are and how we work.

Question 10

Strong Union Rights: Claims 50 - 55

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

50. Time release.
51. Trade union leave.
52. Paid time for employees to attend union meetings.
53. Ensuring no staff member will be disadvantaged as a result of union activities conducted in accordance with responsibilities incurred as a result of bargaining for, or implementation of, the Agreement.
54. All staff inductions to include NTEU.
55. Access to staff email and mailing lists.

A strong union is essential to delivering fair pay and good working conditions for all of us at UWA.

Question 11

Career Progression and Development: Claims 56 - 61

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

56. Preference given to internal candidates when filling a vacancy.

In relation to Academic staff:
57. Inclusion of promotion procedure/provisions including right of appeal in the EBA.
58. Project Grants provisions to be included in the EBA.

In relation to Academic & ELICOS staff:
59. Improved rights to access sabbatical/study leave.

In relation to Professional and General staff:
60. Improved reclassification and level change provisions.
61. Staff Development Grant Scheme to be run annually with each annual budget to be set by mutual agreement between the parties in the staff consultative committee.

Many UWA staff members feel stuck, and want better and clearer career paths within the University and stronger entitlements for professional development.

Question 12

Fair & Equitable Allowances: Claims 62 - 68

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

62. Ensure EBA allowances are at least equal to or above Award rates.
63. Improved higher duties allowance provisions.
64. Improved shift work and overtime provisions.
65. TOIL and overtime to be extended to all workers covered in the Agreement.
66. Leave loading to be 17.5% or the shift rate penalty whichever the greater.
67. Overtime/shift payment for Sunday work at double time.
68. Recall to duty Monday to Friday (prior notice given) increase to minimum 2 hours payment.

Many UWA staff take on extra duties, work unusual hours or do other specialised work that is compensated through allowances – allowances that need to keep up with and be competitive with other industries.

Question 13

Procedural Fairness and Transparency: Claims 69 - 73

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

69. Dispute resolution to include all employment related matters. Status quo to be maintained throughout the whole process including before the Fair Work Commission. Includes the right of any party to request conciliation and/or arbitration.
70. Introduction of new and/or changes to University Policies to be presented to a Joint Staff Consultative Committee for consultation and agreement by the parties.
71. Improved disciplinary procedures.
72. Other matters as they arise over the course of bargaining.
73. No diminution of current terms and conditions of employment.

UWA staff deserve a say in university decisions, and a fair hearing in times of trouble.

Question 14

Fair Pay: Claim 74

Accepted Answer

Relevant clauses in the UWA Log of Claims:

74. That salary rates and allowances for all NTEU members employed by the University be increased by the greater of 15% (flat) calculated on an expiry to expiry basis or the Consumer Price Index + 1.5% per annum, by 31 December 2024.

Cost of living is out of control, and the University’s recent 2% pay rise just doesn’t cut it.

NTEU UWA Branch Events

NTEU UWA Branch Events

Information for UWA Students

Information for UWA Students

Explaining the NTEU UWA Branch Log of Claims