Unitec Lecturers Strike Today
Strike action at Unitec began today because negotiations over employment conditions have failed and lecturers say they will keep taking action until they get what they want.
Members of the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) in six of New Zealand’s polytechnics voted in favour of strike action after failed negotiations with their employers last week. This has resulted in around 260 Unitec academic staff planning on taking action this week, possibly longer.
Today the lecturers are striking all day, which has resulted in cancelled classes for some students.
About 60 Unitec members were picketing outside Unitec on Carrington Road this morning, while a total of 950 TEU members strike throughout the country.
Unitec TEU branch chair Sarah Hardman says the union is planning on further action “until we win, which we will.”
The TEU members at Unitec are part of a national collective that includes NorthTec, WinTec, Whitireia, WITT and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. They are under a multi-employer collective agreement.
The employers proposed an increase in teaching days by ten percent (from 185 per year to 204), as well as making all discretionary leave to be at the employers’ discretion rather than the employees’, as it is at present. The offer also included a one percent salary increase with no back-dating and a 24 month term from the date of signing (effectively 1 percent for two and half years).
The employers were given until Monday to meet the TEU’s demands, but TEU national industrial officer Irena Brorens says the employers’ response was simply to restate their existing position.
“These workers are doing all they can for their polytechnics…Enrolments are up and these tutors and lecturers are crucial in the current economic environment, giving job skills to people who need them. Instead their employers are telling them that they are not working hard enough, and that they should be paid less. It’s simply not fair,” she says.
Languages lecturer Pascal Brown was part of the picket line outside Unitec this morning. He says he is striking because he feels the union staff are not being looked after by their employers.
He says the action will have affects on students, but they can do something about it.
“They should start complaining too, the students should support us and then we will solve the problem quicker.”
Teaching support lecturer Margaret Wilson says the employer’s proposal was an insult.
“I think we are working harder than ever and we are not being treated fairly and with dignity, we are good quality staff and they have to offer good remuneration and good conditions.”
She says she is concerned about the affects the action is having on students.
“It’s unnatural for teachers to be doing this to students. But in the end it’s going to impact on students if we can’t recruit teachers.”
Some Unitec students have their graduation ceremonies today, and there has been concern over what the action will do to these, however, Ms Wilson says some union members still went to the ceremony while others in the picket line had contacted their students to wish them good luck.
Lesley Francey who teachers English at the Manukau Institute of Technology and is also the branch president of the TEU was also at the picket to lend her support.
She is particularly concerned about the employer’s proposal to change the lecturer’s discretionary leave.
“Teaching is an arduous job in a tertiary environment and a lot of the leave time is recuperation for planning for the students.”
English language student Paula Aenga says his classes have been cancelled for the day, so with other students from his class, he made a study group. He says he was surprised to learn of the action as he was not informed of the action before today.
He says whenever a student cannot make it to their class they have to inform the lecturer, but he felt it was unfair that the lecturers had not done the same for them.
“If they are striking they should let us know last night or yesterday for us to make decision (to come in). It is a waste of petrol.”
While business student Lisa Gray says she was well informed of the strike, she is concerned about the long term affects missing classes will have. Her classes were cancelled last week as well, due to illness.
“That means now we have missed out on three lectures for that class, we are getting a bit behind we don’t know when our assignment is due this Friday and if we are meant to hand it in.
“We have missed out on information that could have been covered in three lectures potentially and also this one lecture we are missing out on.”
Unitec chief executive Dr Rick Ede says the action is “unfortunate”.
He says industrial action is not the answer to solving the issues and would like to see a resolution sooner rather than later to avoid disruptions.
“We had hoped that this could be avoided,” he says.
He says Unitec is trying to lessen the impact of the strike action on the students, and says it is difficult to tell the students in advance of the action.
Comments
H Patterson
September 16th, 2009 at 10:35 am
What are student views on this?
Cons
September 16th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
The lecturers, tutors and admin staff all deserve a pay raise, as they are highly overworked and underpaid. Yes, I am a concerned student but we also appreciate the experience and knowledge all staff provide.
Maybe the students should strike too!(jk)
Andrea
September 16th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I fully support the Unitec staff and hope they get everything they are asking for. I have studied at other tertiary institues and have found the staff at Unitec to be fantastic and in my experience very supportive which is conducive to a positive learning environment for all students. All the best to them!
Pen
September 16th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Unitec’s Admin have got to get their act together. Short changing Trade lecturers is not a good long term solution for Unitec!
Yes Im pissed at missing a day at Unitec but what else can you do?
All people that went to Unitec and paid for that trip complaint to the student union and get a refund. It’s only fair
Anon.
September 16th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
I agree with Pen. I came from Manukau to attend one lecture today morning only to find out that the lecturer is on strike so I could do nothing but leave for home. I’m very upset that the lecturer did not inform us earlier and we had to spend the money/effort to getting to Unitec. Its a real shame that Unitec’s Admin do not even know which lecturers are on strike and which are not. Saying “50%” is just not good enough.
nomiS.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:06 am
Cons is one of the lecturers on strike. So too is Andrea. Obvious troll is obvious.
b00mtastik™
September 17th, 2009 at 9:37 am
It is upsetting (Even though that none of my lecturers went on this strike) that they wouldn’t not tell anyone that they were going to be striking. The email I received was around 11:50pm (approxiamately). But having said this, the point of a strike is to inform no one so that the action is abrupt and more seen because it was so sudden.
It was also brought to my attention that it was Graduation Day for some. It could/would have been unfair to so many that lecturers would have chosen to do this on a day that would be remembered by so many students. But maybe this is just me. Now they’ll remember their lecturers standing at the entrance to Gate 1…
My views on a ‘Union’ is kinda biased as it is, I mean, I’ve asked around and all I seem to understand is that the point of a Union is to be heard collectively and get almost 3 extra weeks of holiday…thats really it…is 3 weeks worth it ?
In whatever case, I just thought I’d throw my 5 dollars…wait…*takes it back*…20cents in for the hecks of it.
On a lighter note:
*High Fives nomiS* Good Tracking.
Cons
September 17th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Just in response to boomtastik, maybe you need a highly paid lecturer who can teach you good English - all educational staff deserve a pay raise:- they are underworked, not ALL of the belong to the union, and they NEED the holiday time to mark, plan and schedule their next teaching block, whether that is a semester or a school term.
Perhaps, you should get a clue and try being a teacher.
It’s not easy … and it’s never paid well!
nomiS.
September 17th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Go have a cry somewhere else Cons. Honestly, I’m here in class looking at the people on strike, and I’m also looking at all the people that don’t care. THe people sitting down are eating their lunch, totally oblivious as to what’s going on behind them. It looks pretty funny. If it weren’t for the big lame banner and picket signs, I’d say the hub is just full of people standing and talking. If they really want to make a scene, they should start chanting and saying shit, throw shit around, break necks. Do this, then you’ll get your 3 week holiday.
b00mtastik™
September 17th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
“not ALL of the belong to the union” - Yeah. I need the English teacher. Maybe I do…
Look, I never said they didn’t deserve it. But if it really is never paid well, then why do you do it ? And then complain about it ?
Someone also said something in the other topics on this site, that striking isn’t the only way. I’m sure there are other ways of getting your employers’ attention.
Again, I’m neither for or against, but there are unfair plays to both sides. In our case, we just dealt with it, because we can’t exactly do anything about it now can we ? And you guys chose to strike…and I chose to talk about the side of student.
In another random outburst, everyone has their problems. Everyone has something they need to deal with to change so it suites them better. We as students show up after having paid, to learn. (I kinda fail at that sometimes…) Teachers get paid to teach. Yes ? Me failing to learn is my problem, you getting paid enough to teach is yours. Why should your problem as a lecturer interfere with my position as a student, whether it be I have a class today, or graduation, or whatever it could possibly be ?
Maybe I’m in a argumentative mood, maybe I just feel like verbal diarrhea, maybe just because I can.
As a DISCLAIMER: You shouldn’t take so much offense to what I have to say. This could just be for purely my own entertainment. But, as a challenge, humor me.
Meg
September 18th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I am not personally effected by the strike in the nature that the lecturer’s are any of mine, but when I was in my Business class yesterday afternoon at Waitakere, the loud protests were extremely disruptive outside our class room. I think this was totally un-necessary as their target audience is not even situated at Waitakere campus. Also, I was quite disapointed to see them protesting outside graduation on Wednesday, again it was necessary as it affected such a positive day. Why couldnt the protesters take it to Mt Albert (or wherever Dr Ede is situated) I apologise for my ignorance but would it not make sense to protest more effectively?
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