University of Newcastle management says it will refer its long-running enterprise bargaining dispute to the Fair Work Commission after academic union members rejected its latest offer.
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Vice-chancellor Alex Zelinsky said in a message to staff on Tuesday afternoon that it was "now obvious to us that it is no longer possible to reach consensus through continued negotiations".
Fair Work has scheduled a conference between union, staff and university bargaining representatives on May 30 after the almost two-year negotiation broke down again on Friday.
The university's academic staff covered by the National Tertiary Education Union rejected a proposed offer which included a pay increase of 13 per cent over three years, backdated to April this year.
The university's Community and Public Sector Union members voted in favour of a proposed professional staff agreement on Friday.
Dr Zelinsky said in his message to staff that the NTEU members' rejection of the "fair and reasonable" offer was "disappointing".
"The university has made significant concessions in our latest rounds of bargaining," he said.
"We have decided that the best and quickest way to reach resolution is to refer the matter to the Fair Work Commission to finalise our proposed agreements."
Staff member Dr Tony Brown said Friday's union meeting had rejected the university proposal, in part, because management had removed an offer to provide casual employees with the same 17 per cent superannuation guarantee rate as permanent staff.
Dr Brown said he had applied to the Fair Work Commission on May 16 to seek its assistance in resolving the protracted dispute.
"It's incredible management is now seeking credit for notifying the commission when we are largely in this position because of their unilateral actions," he said.
The Newcastle Herald has been told the university made a separate application and the two matters have been joined.
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Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
