Open letter to the RMIT Branch:

For a strong union response to job losses and EB

To the Branch Executive and EB negotiating team

We are writing to you as union members and Branch Committee members in support of strong action by the RMIT Branch to resolve Enterprise Bargaining and fight against further job losses.

We all agree that we are facing one of the most ruthless attacks by senior management against staff and the union at RMIT. In the few weeks before Christmas we saw:
· The breaking of the Enterprise Agreement on the issue of job losses.
· The sudden and public announcement of 180 job losses across RMIT.
· The slashing of hundreds of vacant positions from the 2005 budget.
· The offering of a round of VDPs in ITS.
· A serious breakdown in EB negotiations.

Since the Christmas break, management have added insult to injury by trying to further reduce the pay offer in the EB. The only response to this type of management is the strongest and most coordinated response the union can muster. A university-wide attack requires a university-wide response.

We support the current industrial action imposing a ban on work planning for academic and general staff and support the proposal put forward at the January 25 delegate's meeting to put a ban on management's proposed Program Rationalisation.

However, we have additional proposals which we feel will further strengthen the union's position in pushing for a better deal for members through EB and the prevention of job losses.

Stronger industrial action needed

Management have now seriously reneged on their commitment to wrap up the EB and have made a paltry offer. Not only that, but they continue to announce job losses. These actions can only be effectively responded to with stronger action, including further strike action. We need to convince management we are serious about protecting our wages and conditions and show that we are prepared to support the EB negotiators in getting the best result for members. We need to support the Branch Executive in preventing more job losses.

Any further action such as a strike will have to be built strongly among branch members: through distribution of posters, statements and other material, as well as meetings of members built in local areas and through a mass meeting. Systematic contacting of all members should be carried out by active delegates and branch committee members.

Whenever the union has taken industrial action, not only has there been support for the union, but more volunteers have come forward to help. Last year's strike was a success in that it was strong, membership rose, new members became active and others were re-enthused. The workbans on attending Major Change interviews were also a success. We need to plan ongoing, strong industrial action that involves and inspires delegates and members and lets management know that we mean business.

Copies of EB clauses

We also call for a copy of the latest draft and proposed clauses of the EB being negotiated to be made available to delegates and members via the RMIT NTEU website. This practice is quite usual when undertaking Enterprise Bargaining and given that negotiations have been under way for over a year, it is important for members to know the content of the EB they are taking industrial action for and for them to have the ability to comment on draft clauses.

It is most regrettable that Branch Committee members not involved in the negotiating team have been denied access to copies of the draft and proposed clauses. Also, the branch should seek to include members in the process given the abuse of EB by management. It is difficult to maintain enthusiasm of NTEU members and argue for continued struggle for an EBA that only a select few have seen since the EB Roadshow Power Point presentations in August last year.

Delegates e-list reopened

Lastly. the delegates’ email discussion list needs to be re-opened. Now more than ever, delegates need to discuss activities and issues relevant to union members. Delegates should be free to discuss and debate issues, with the Branch Office providing input to ensure that offensive material or incorrect industrial advice is not posted. Reopening the delegates email discussion list will assist in further developing the kind of day to day union involvement that will give us strength in our industrial campaigns in the year to come.

Our united response needs to be strong and one capable of stopping the attacks, stopping the job losses and signing off on an EB that improves our conditions. This is possible if members can be involved in every level of the union’s activities.

We ask the Branch Executive and EB negotiating team to support our suggestions for facilitating this involvement.

In union

Natalie Zirngast
NTEU National Councillor, RMIT Branch Committee Member, Workplace Delegate

Lisa Farrance
NTEU National Councillor, RMIT Branch Committee Member, Workplace Delegate

Liz Thompson
RMIT Branch Committee Member, Workplace OHS Rep

Members First Union News #1

Welcome to the first edition of the Members First union newsletter.

As newly elected members of the branch committee, we thought it might be a good idea to have regular communication with contacts and supporters for the purpose of generating discussion and getting more information shared between branch members on important issues.

This newsletter contains the following items:
-Stopwork meeting report back
-Proposed strike action
-Unified meetings
-Regular meetings of rank and file members

Stopwork meeting report back

This is just a quick report back on the stopwork meeting that was held on Tuesday. We went to the meeting on the city campus which had a good attendance - about 150 people in the Kaleide Theatre.

While members supported the motion for the proposed workbans they were lukewarm about their actual content. Regardless, the motion got up, but staff seemed much more interested in talking about strike action.

After some discussion about the need for strike action as a more collective and effective way of making the university comply, staff put a motion on notice for a 48 HOUR STRIKE which will be voted on at next week's members meeting.

When a straw poll on the options of a 24 hour strike or a 48 hour strike was taken, about two thirds voted in favour of a 48 hour strike and one third in favour of a 24 hour strike. There were only one or two abstentions.

There was also discussion about how to get around the problem that always comes up at these meetings - that members are never able to make amendments or put motions from the floor.

The meeting indicated that we felt that next week's meeting should be an all-in meeting with buses organised by the NTEU to the meeting site. Discussion was had around having a two hour meeting at either the beginning or end of the day at a venue to be decided. City members also indicated their support for travelling to Bundoora on buses if this would help to facilitate this all-in meeting.

A motion on notice regarding a 48 hour strike was also moved at Brunswick, so there's already two campuses that support it!

Proposed strike action

So, what now?

We have until next Thursday to build even greater support for the strike motion - particularly at Bundoora where we have heard no reports of what the general feeling is regarding a strike. Please email us with your thoughts if you're on that campus.

Building a strong, successful and effective strike is of course the most important thing at this point, as the EB process has dragged on for far longer than necessary and members don't deserve to be treated with such lack of respect by management. We encourage you to build up support in your area for strike action.

.........................
Motion taken on notice from Sept 7th Stopwork meeting to be voted on at Sept 16 meeting

That this meeting of the RMIT Branch of the NTEU endorses a 48 hour strike of members on the 22nd and 23rd September.

Moved Natalie Zirngast
Seconded Lisa Farrance
.........................

Unified meetings

We are disappointed that there will not be a unified meeting for next week.

While we understand the difficulties faced by staff in travelling from other campuses to the meeting site, we think that members at the stopwork brought up good reasons as to why an all in meeting would be useful, especially when deciding on strike action.

A unified meeting would be effective as a show of solidarity and strength prior to the strike and would allow all staff to tactically plan the strike itself. A unified meeting would allow members the full opportunity to debate, amend and move motions from the floor, and build the strongest strike possible. A motion for strike action is not one that members take lightly and it is important to enable staff to have a thorough discussion and make collective decisions.

We support having unified meetings on important issues like this in the future, though we know that the practicalities make it hard for this to be a regular practice.

We are glad that there will be an opportunity for members to make some amendments through the use of mobile phones part way through the meeting next week, and feel that this should occur for all Branch Meetings.

Regular meetings of rank and file members

On Monday evenings from 5.00 - 6.00 upstairs at the new INCK cafe on Swanston ST (opposite the main Swanston ST entrance), Members First will be having regular meetings and we invite any interested rank and file members to come along, even if you only have time to pop in briefly on your way home from work.

We want to have informed discussion with members about issues for the branch and work with you to make the union stronger at RMIT. We want to represent members on branch committee in a real way, and see our regular meetings as a forum for report backs, planning, discussion and getting members involved in the union.

Hope to see you there!

Regards

Your Members First Team
Natalie, Lisa and Liz

These newsletters will also be posted to this website.

Vote for an active and democratic union

On 4 August you will be asked to vote for your union representatives for 2005-2006. Members First is standing for Ordinary Branch Committee positions, and for National Council. We support Dave Kinder, Tony Lad and John Odgers for Branch Executive positions.

STAFF DESERVE SOME RESPECT

Since early 2002, staff have increasingly worked overtime and suffered work-related stress, with some facing harassment from bullying managers. Yet staff have stayed at RMIT because of a commitment to education and to students.

A 2002 report produced for RMIT by consultants conceded that they had never seen such commitment from staff to an organisation.

How has management repaid us? By refusing to fill vacant positions, increasing workloads, endless financial bureaucracy and restructuring at staff expense. RMIT staff continue to pay the price for bad decisions made by management.

MEMBERS DESERVE A STRONG UNION

The NTEU Branch needs a Branch Committee that will stand up to management, and will encourage the full involvement of members in union decisions. You need representatives on the Branch Committee and the National Council who will help to build the NTEU as a fighting union.

We need a union that will stand firm against the mis-management of RMIT University, and will help members organise at the local level.

We need a union that defends the sector, and opposes divide and rule tactics by management. One such tactic is the introduction of contingency funding – the linking of staff pay rises to increases in student fees. The Members First team oppose this and will continue to strengthen alliances between staff and students in fighting for properly funded and free education.

Your Members First team will:

BUILD UNION DEMOCRACY
· Encourage members to participate in union discussions and decisions.
· Respect members’ rights to move motions in meetings without obstruction.
· Ensure all motions passed at meetings of members are acted upon. We will fight to stop “behind closed doors” overturning of your decisions.

SUPPORT DELEGATES TO HELP DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS
· Encourage recruitment and organisation of members at the local level, through elected and accountable Delegates. A strong union has strong local organisation.
· Continue to push for support and resources for the local Delegates Network. We want the email discussion list for Delegates re-opened.
· Provide support and training for Delegates in negotiating at the local level, instead of blocking local Delegate involvement.

BE INEDEPENDENT FROM MANAGEMENT
· We act on members’ needs rather than follow management’s direction.
· We are for unconditional defence of members’ industrial interests.
· We know that members need consistent advice, not excuses for management.

The candidates

Natalie Zirngast, Liz Thompson and Lisa Farrance. 

Natalie Zirngast

Natalie is a Delegate for the RMIT Student Union and negotiated their Enterprise Agreement, winning a substantial pay-rise for staff and 18-weeks paid maternity leave. She organised the NTEU forum: The truth about RMIT’s finances last year, and also moved the anti-war motion supported by members.

Liz Thompson

Liz is a long-standing unionist in the Higher Education sector, working on many campuses. Liz is an OHS rep for the RMIT Student Union, and feels there needs to be more of a union emphasis on combating bullying and intimidation as occupational health and safety issues, with the backing of the full force of the Victorian Occupational Health & Safety Act.

Lisa Farrance

For the last 4.5 years Lisa has been an active Delegate in the DLS (Online @ RMIT), recruiting members to the union and winning permanency for staff. Lisa has been involved in building the Delegates Network at RMIT over the past two years, and is active in the anti-war movement, in refugee campaigns and in fighting for free education.