When staff show up, our pressure can win the rights we deserve.
Our bargaining team has been tirelessly advocating for our member-endorsed claims in negotiation with UTS management. But advocacy means nothing in the face of a University Leadership that refuses to make substantive concessions.
We have seen the callousness of this leadership team through the mishandled OSI change process and their refusal to take the psycho-social safety of staff seriously. But we have also seen that our pressure works and collective action can force management to do right by staff. After our last strike in November, the VC announced significant concessions on the issues members campaigned hardest for: scaling back course and subject closures, and saving Education and Public Health. Thanks to persistent pressure from local work areas, we’ve won even more concessions since then including, no forced redundancies, saving International Studies and Languages, and fewer redundancies targeting existing staff.
That’s why it’s so important to commit to our next suite of Industrial Action. By pledging to take protected industrial action, you’re not yet committing to a final date for action, but you are sending a strong message to UTS management: if our demands aren’t met at the bargaining table, UTS staff are ready to come out in force!
So, why change management?
Change management is one of the areas with outstanding claims being negotiated in March. By negotiating around change management, we want to ensure our Enterprise Agreement includes improvements to the processes for managing workplace change to limit unnecessary disruption to the workplace and to ensure genuine consultation with staff.
These are the outstanding claims that members want us to make progress on right away:
- Mandated provision of information during change.
- Major Change Implementation Review Committee with Union representatives.
- UTS Management must come to staff first before embarking on a Major Change.
- No staff member subject to more than one change major change for duration on Agreement.
- Utilise a committee of staff experts before engaging consultants.
- No Forced Redundancies
Now is the time to pledge, to invite others to pledge, and spread the word to wider staff and allies about why our claims matter for a better future at UTS. With enough members pledging to take action, we can put pressure on UTS Management to meet our demands and win a stronger Enterprise Agreement for everyone!
