Presented by Workplace Relations

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Presented by Workplace Relations

• Enterprise Bargaining
• Academic
• and Professional Staff

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1. Background

• EB negotiations for a replacement Enterprise
  Agreement covering academic and professional
  staff concluded on 24 August 2009
• NTEU National Executive endorsement of the
  replacement EA is pending
• Replacement EA also requires approval by a vote
  of staff as well as Fair Work Australia approval
  prior to commencement

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1. Background continued

• Purpose of session is to provide the Universitys
  HR community with an advance briefing on the
  replacement EA
• Focus is on principal changes introduced rather
  than all changes

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2. Salaries and Remuneration

• 2.1 Salary Increases
• Aggregate 16.5 increase over 3-year period
• Includes 2 already paid ffppoa 31 March 2009
• Next increase of 1.5 due ffppoa 31 October 2009
• However no increases until after approval of
  replacement EA by Fair Work Australia

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2.2 Superannuation

• New entitlement of eligible fixed-term
  research-only staff to 17 superannuation on the
  same basis as continuing staff
• Eligibility based on years of continuous service
  initially 10 years continuous service but
  reducing to 5 years continuous service after a 5
  year phase-in
• Provision for choice of superannuation (but
  limited)

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2.3 Overpayments

• - Uniform overpayment provision applying to all
  staff

2.4 Travelling, Meal and Vehicle Allowances -
Provisions transferred from University policy to
EA - Revised arrangements for the
approval and refund of cash advances
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2.5 Overtime

• - TOIL provisions transferred from University
  policy to the EA

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3. Leave
3.1 Annual Leave

• Revised arrangements for excess annual leave
  (EAL) balance management
• Three warning e-mails to the staff member and, if
  he/she fails to eliminate EAL by following 31
  December, staff member rostered and deemed to be
  on annual leave from the first working day in
  January until balance reduced to 20 days

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3.2 Long Service Leave

• Staff member may elect the time for taking leave
  by giving 3 rather than 6 months notice
• Revised arrangements for excess leave balance
  management (ie. if no proposal for reduction
  within 2 weeks of being directed on 3 months
  notice, staff member is rostered and deemed to be
  on leave from the following 31 December until
  balance reduced to 19.5 weeks)

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3.3 Parental Leave

• Staff members with at least 12 months continuous
  service may apply to extend period of parental
  leave by another 12-month unpaid period to allow
  a maximum 24-month period for parental leave
• University must respond to requests for a reduced
  fractional return to work or other flexible work
  arrangement within 21 days and may only refuse on
  reasonable business grounds

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3.3 Parental Leave continued

• The spouse of a parent is entitled to unpaid
  parental leave for months 13-24 following the
  childs birth or adoption, whether or not the
  parent is employed by the University
• Full parity between maternity leave and adoption
  leave entitlements regardless of the age of the
  adopted child
• Staff members directed to commence maternity
  leave entitled to remain at work if supported by
  medical evidence

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3.4 Personal Leave

• Covers both sick leave and carers leave
• Entire paid personal leave balance available to
  be taken as carers leave

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3.5 Other Leave

• - Paid work whilst absent on paid or unpaid leave
  prohibited without prior written authorisation
• - Workplace relations training leave
  transferred from University policy to the EA

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4.1 Casual and Sessional Staff
4. Mode of Employment

• Casual loading 24 from commencement of
  replacement EA, 25 from 12 months following
  commencement of replacement EA
• Definition of long term casual inserted
  employed by the University on a regular and
  systematic basis for a sequence of periods of
  employment during a period of at least 12 months

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4.1 Casual and Sessional Staff continued

• Long term casuals entitled to 2 days unpaid
  carers leave accrual towards long service
  leave 12 months unpaid parental leave 12-month
  unpaid extension of parental leave and request
  for return to work from parental leave on a
  reduced fraction or other flexible work
  arrangement
• Sessional academic staff to be referred to as
  Teaching Associates and to be paid separately for
  marking undertaken outside the classroom

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4.1 Casual and Sessional Staff continued

• Sessional Teaching Associate access to
  facilities, services and resources on an
  equivalent basis as for other academic staff,
  including a paid half-day induction
• 5 target reduction in casual sessional
  employment by 30 June 2012

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4.2 Fixed-Term Staff

• Reinstatement of pre-HEWRRs approved categories
  for fixed-term employment
• Two sets of notice, renewal and severance
  provisions applying current provisions for
  staff commencing after 22 November 2005 but
  before the commencement of the replacement EA and
  pre-HEWRRs provisions for all other fixed-term
  staff
• Early Career Development Fellowships (ECDFs) 25
  full-time Level A 24-month positions to be
  offered to eligible Teaching Associate staff

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4.2 Fixed-Term Staff continued

• Performance-based contracts (PBCs) excluded
  from the annual leave and research misconduct
  provisions of the replacement EA and
  superannuation expressly included in salary and
  loadings thresholds
• Fixed-term research-only appointments to be
  generally for the full term of the research grant

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4.3 Continuing (Contingent Funded) Employment

• Eligible fixed-term research-only staff to be
  employed as continuing (contingent funded) staff
• Staff with at least 4 years continuous service
  and proposed to be employed for a further
  consecutive contract of at least 6 months are all
  eligible
• Subject to fixed-term conditions regarding
  redundancy and superannuation. Otherwise enjoy
  the same terms and conditions as other continuing
  academic staff

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5. Other

• 5.1 Change Consultation and Grievance/Dispute
  Resolution
• Requirement to consult in writing on proposed
  changes before any decision to proceed, with up
  to two weeks for staff and the NTEU to respond
• Aggrieved staff members option of referral to a
  Disputes Committee where an employment-related
  grievance is not resolved at the local level

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5.1 Change Consultation and Grievance/Dispute
Resolution continued

• Extension of the dispute resolution procedure to
  cover disputes regarding the National Employment
  Standards

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5.2 Professional Staff Classifications and
Performance Management

• Position Description Review Committee created for
  the referral of disputes regarding the content of
  position descriptions
• Written reasons required where an application for
  reclassification is not approved
• Professional Staff Classification Descriptors
  transferred from University policy to the EA
• Window for commencement of annual performance
  review extended from 3-4 to 3-6 months

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5.3 Miscellaneous

• Research misconduct separate disciplinary
  process for allegations of serious research
  misconduct
• Redundancy and redeployment EA provision for
  fixed-term redundancy removed and redeployment
  procedures transferred from University policy to
  the EA
• Individual flexibility arrangements available
  regarding annual leave, unpaid parental and
  carers leave and annualised seasonal salaries

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5.3 Miscellaneous continued

• Indigenous employment development of an
  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment
  strategy, including the appointment of at least 8
  additional Indigenous staff members annually plus
  the reservation of 5 ECDFs for Indigenous
  Teaching Associate staff
• Environment sustainability commitments included
  in EA