The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is unable to fill the majority of its own committee roles in universities around Australia, creating a governance vacuum.
The Australian Electoral Commission recently conducted elections for NTEU committee and other roles at higher education institutions.
More than 75 per cent of roles remain vacant, raising questions about the union's capacity to apply appropriate governance to its operations.
The NTEU needed to fill almost 220 positions on university-based committees, but could fill only 53. Many branch secretary and branch president roles are vacant.
At some universities not one position attracted a nomination, including national council representatives and branch secretaries.
This amounts to a crisis for the union as it reflects disinterest in its operations and effectiveness. Union claims for greater representation must be tempered with their ability to meet their own needs, before seeking jobs they can't fill.
There also is an issue of competency within the dwindling resources the union has.
Is this the canary in the coal mine moment? Could it be that higher education workers generally believe the sector is in good shape and not in need of union intervention?
Already we are seeing an impact on enterprise agreement negotiations, with the NTEU having trouble finding appropriate representatives to fulfill the role it has promised its members and as a result delaying resolution of new conditions and remuneration.
The Executive Director of the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association (AHEIA), Craig Laughton, said the association would continue to work with the NTEU where appropriate in the best interests of staff.
