Academics to strike in pay row

Some lectures and tutorials at Auckland University may be cancelled next week as about half the academic staff go on strike.

Union staff at the university have voted in favour of the strike action in reaction to the university's refusal to negotiate alongside other New Zealand universities.

Association of University Staff (AUS) national president Professor Nigel Haworth said Auckland union members, including 50 to 60 per cent of core academic staff, would withdraw teaching services for two-hour blocks for three days a week over a fortnight.

"We want to send a strong message to the university."

About 500 Auckland members of the AUS decided on strike action at a stopwork meeting yesterday.

"They voted massively in favour of taking action to try and bring the university to the bargaining table," said Professor Haworth. There were 466 votes for strike action and 13 against. "Our programme of strike action will begin on April 14."

Professor Haworth said the AUS had been talking with New Zealand universities to present a proposal to the Government for more funding. But Auckland University vice-chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon declined to participate, he said.

"He could have turned up and joined his fellow vice-chancellors in collective bargaining, as the other universities have done. But he refuses. Our membership is very disappointed and feel so strongly that they wish to take action."

An agreement with all universities would present a strong case to the Government for increased funding, Professor Haworth said. "We can't argue strongly if one university separates from us."

Professor McCutcheon said there was no evidence that a multi-employer collective agreement, as advocated by the AUS, would help get more Government funding that would go to staff salaries.

"I have invited the union for evidence and they have been unable to provide it. If they did, I would consider negotiating. We haven't refused to come to the negotiating table. We have declined to negotiate with other employers."

Auckland University had made an offer of a single employer collective agreement of a 4.5 per cent salary increase to all staff, union and non-union, he said. "The offer is the highest the university can afford."

He said quality education and research, not a multi-employer collective agreement, would attract Government investment.

The Government announced this week its Statement of Tertiary Education Priorities, which will guide funding to the end of 2007 towards courses that are needed most. But Professor Haworth said the offer did not go far enough.

"The offer of 4.5 per cent is quite significant, but doesn't go far in terms of the erosion of staff salaries over the years.

"If we work with the universities as a whole, we could negotiate for a figure higher than 4.5 per cent. Why doesn't the vice-chancellor want to do that?"

The AUS has brought a case against Professor McCutcheon that will be heard by the Employment Court next week.

Professor McCutcheon was legally obliged to attend negotiations with the other universities, Professor Haworth said.

The salary increase offer to both union and non-union staff was discriminatory: "Professor McCutcheon is basically saying, 'Why should you be in a union at all?"'