Union ramps up battle against Charles Darwin University's attack on staff rights

The National Tertiary Education Union is ramping up its fight against Charles Darwin University's proposal to reduce job security and cut real wages. More details have emerged about CDU's offer to staff, who face the prospect of unlimited restructures under the proposed enterprise agreement. This means staff are at risk of continued redundancies despite multiple restructures in recent years. Crucial safeguards are also being scrapped. Under the proposal, the right to independent reviews for staff whose performance is deemed unsatisfactory or accused of misconduct will be removed. Staff will start voting on the agreement from Tuesday. "The prospect of endless restructures and redundancies should alarm every one of my 1700 CDU colleagues," NTEU NT Branch President Darius Pfitzner said. "Clauses like these are exactly why we want all staff to have all the facts before voting on the proposed agreement next week. "The more people we talk to, the more we're seeing them understand this is not just about the pay offer - even if that doesn't go anywhere near keeping up with the cost of living. "It's pretty obvious why management only wants to talk about money with so many rights and conditions under attack. "We're urging all staff to vote no so we can return to the negotiating table to get a deal that's fair for everyone." CDU have also offered staff a one-off payment of $500 for permanent staff and $200 for casual staff signing up to the agreement. "Dangling a cash sugar hit in front of staff facing soaring cost of living pressures in the run up to Christmas is a cynical distraction from what a real wages cut will mean," Dr Pfitzner said. "This proposal is bad for Darwin's economy because it means less money in people's pockets at a time when inflation is going through the roof." The Reserve Bank of Australia predicts inflation will hit 8 per cent by the end of the year. CDU staff have now gone 16 months without a pay rise. CDU recorded a $62 million surplus last year, up $20 million on the previous 12 months.