EB'99 Academic Staff

Correspondence

Dear Staff,

As the UNE community knows, we are about to enter the next round of Enterprise Bargaining for both general and academic staff. In these extremely trying times for the Australian university system the bargaining process can be difficult, as several institutions have experienced recently.

The University reaffirms adamantly its belief that all staff deserve substantial improvements in pay. UNE staff have contributed willingly in helping the University set new directions in recent years, and in improving a most serious financial situation.

Throughout that time, staff efforts everywhere have enabled UNE to maintain its traditionally high standards of teaching, research, scholarly and intellectual endeavour, despite increasing workloads and much tighter budgets.

Members of Council and the University acknowledge and appreciate unreservedly the importance of that commitment and dedication of staff.

The Vice-Chancellor, for example, made a very strong presentation in support of staff at the meeting of the Finance Committee, 21 May 1999. The Committee minutes noted that

"there has been, over the last number years, a very large increase in student enrolments who are being taught by a largely decreased academic staff body supported by a largely decreased general staff body. This indicates that the overall efficiency of both academic and general staff has increased. There should be an acknowledgement that people are working very hard and that they deserve a pay rise. The reality is that unless expenditures decrease and/or income increases there is no money to pay adequate salary increases."

It is imperative that the UNE community appreciates fully a key condition - the present financial position makes it impossible to meet fully even legitimate expectations, let alone unrealistic claims.

In that circumstance, the University will do its absolute best to produce offers that involve modest direct salary increases, indirect financial benefits, and improvement in working conditions.

The offers, predictably, will not please everyone, and those entertaining high expectations will be disappointed.

However, the point is simple: the University cannot afford increases in salary and conditions of the magnitude sought in some quarters.

Over the past two years, numerous financial presentations throughout the University have demonstrated the situation in which UNE finds itself. Liquidity is low, reserves are low, costs are high, and expenditure matches income.

That financial data and background will be demonstrated further in the coming weeks.

Added to that UNE-specific condition, the entire university sector is entering a further period of funding uncertainty as demonstrated by the Green Paper on research, and by speculation already surrounding the imminent paper on funding for teaching and learning. This follows earlier important Government funding decisions, such as declining to supplement salary rises determined through Enterprise Bargaining.

UNE, then, has to fund any salary and salary-related increases from within its own resources and, at present, those are constrained.

From 2002 onwards, the University hopes to be in a healthier financial position as inherited heavy debts are retired, and benefits appear from new revenue raising efforts.

At this moment, however, the University must continue to exercise financial restraint, and that will be reflected in the Enterprise Bargaining proposals.

Hard bargaining and tough negotiation are to be expected. That is as it should be.

But while bargaining and negotiation proceed, there is a clear limit to what the University can do.

Beyond that limit the very mission of the University, and the people within it, will be jeopardised.

Professor Brian Stoddart

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research & External)