A protocol for enterprise bargaining in the higher education sector is needed to enable it to deliver negotiated benefits faster.
“Enterprise bargaining discussions are bogged down in delays on many occasions and in some cases can go on for years,” the Executive Director of the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association, Craig Laughton, said today.
“This can be the case because of procedural talks before the real work begins.
“At the end of the day it’s workers who can be disadvantaged by that approach.
“We’ve put our proposal to the union representing university employees so that in the next round of discussions on pay and conditions, we have an agreed process that, if followed, should deliver whatever benefits there are to employees faster,” Mr Laughton said.
He said the next sequence of enterprise bargaining, which has begun in some cases, would provide an opportunity to show good faith by all parties.
“There’s nothing revolutionary about this approach. Furthermore, protocols can outline bargaining behaviours and provide an environment for a clear and efficient approach,” Mr Laughton said.
“We have to end the ‘them and us’ approach to discussions, where one party comes along with its demands and the other, usually the employer, responds. The fact is that both sides can have proposals that need to be worked through.
“A cornerstone of enterprise agreements, good faith bargaining, must not be jeopardised by ideology, past practice or new industrial laws.
“Negotiation must be in an environment in which everything relevant is on the table and each party is open to compromise.
“For example, there’s only so much more productivity that can be achieved so we must, in good faith, look at other factors, especially at this time when universities are experiencing escalating costs and reducing revenue.”
Mr Laughton said universities are committed to offering the best employment opportunities and conditions within appropriate operational and financial boundaries.
Ends
10 December 2024
Craig Laughton | (he/him)
Executive Director | Australian Higher Education Industrial Association |
phone: 0477 799 149
[email protected] | www.aheia.edu.au |
Contact details:
Craig Laughton | (he/him)
Executive Director | Australian Higher Education Industrial Association |
phone: 0477 799 149
[email protected] | www.aheia.edu.au |
