Media release: July 27
RMIT has launched an extraordinary attack on its own staff, threatening legal action against those who refuse to do unpaid work or volunteer at Open Days and other events.
RMIT wants staff to volunteer their time at upcoming open days at the Bundoora campus on August 7 and City and Brunswick campuses on August 14.
Meanwhile, RMIT has refused to come to the bargaining table to negotiate a new enterprise agreement, despite the previous enterprise agreement expiring over a year ago.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) passed a motion advising members not to undertake unpaid labour for 11 days in August, in light of RMIT's refusal to start negotiating a new agreement until 2023.
On Tuesday, the university's lawyers sent a letter to the NTEU warning the University is considering lodging action with the Fair Work Commission over RMIT staff's refusal to volunteer or work unpaid hours for 11 days.
NTEU Victorian Division Assistant Secretary Sarah Roberts slammed RMIT's aggressive tactics.
"This is an outrageous attack on university staff's freedom," said Sarah Roberts, NTEU Victorian Division Assistant Secretary.
"Asking people to work for free and then threatening them when they say no simply doesn't pass the pub test.
"The RMIT Enterprise Agreement is long expired, yet the Vice Chancellor won't negotiate a new one. Instead of valuing staff who are going the extra mile for students and the institution, RMIT has threatened their union with legal action for attempting to demonstrate how excessive their workloads are and how many unpaid hours are performed by the staff each week.
"Why should union members work for free out of the goodness of their hearts for an employer that won't even sit down at the bargaining table?
"RMIT has proven once again that events like open days mean more to them than ensuring staff grappling with insecure work and flatlining wages get a fair deal."
A ruling against the Union could result in bans against future industrial action.
