Progress on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander claims, but serious concerns over UQ management’s agendaMore good news!At our latest enterprise agreement bargaining meeting, we came close to reaching in-principle agreement on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander claims. This is a very welcome development, and a positive step towards recognising and strengthening rights, support and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff at UQ. Management tabling more alarming claimsHowever, the rest of the meeting was not so positive. UQ Management tabled some of their claims, and while they described many of these proposals as “clarifications”, the detail tells a very different story. Many of management’s proposals would dangerously erode employees’ rights and weaken important protections in our current agreement. One alarming example is management’s proposal around major organisational change. Under the guise of psychosocial safety, management wants to remove the four week consultation period for major organisational change and replace it with whatever management considers “reasonable”. This would give management far too much discretion and could significantly weaken staff rights to genuine, timely and meaningful consultation when major changes are proposed. Management is also seeking to remove existing protections around medical examinations relating to work capacity. Their proposal includes reducing the notice period for independent medical examinations (IME) to just one week, while also widening the circumstances in which management can require a staff member to attend an IME. These protections matter. They exist to ensure staff are treated fairly, with proper process, appropriate notice and clear limits on management power. and the clock is still ticking….We are still waiting for management to table all of their substantive claims. Based on what we have seen so far, it is becoming clearer why they may be taking their time..... UQ staff deserve an agreement that strengthens rights, protects jobs, improves workloads and delivers fair pay, not one that gives management more power to bypass consultations and weaken staff protections. The best way to push back is to build collective strength. Please talk to your colleagues, encourage them to join the NTEU, and get involved in the campaign.
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