AUT staff prepare to strike over pay

More than half the staff at Auckland University of Technology will strike today, vowing to disrupt lectures and timetables.

Members of the Association of Staff in Tertiary Education (ASTE) are taking the action after talks on a new pay deal collapsed.

They want 13 per cent over two years; the university has refused to offer more than 7 per cent over the same period.

Irena Brorens, assistant secretary of the union, said staff would picket university buildings today.

"We've asked for a revised offer, but heard nothing. We expect the strike to impact on lectures," she said.

About 580 union members are holding out for a salary increase of 6.5 per cent this year and another 6.5 per cent over the following two years. After more than a month of negotiations, AUT vice-chancellor Derek McCormack offered 3.5 per cent this year and another 3.5 per cent over the following two years.

"It's not acceptable that our members are falling further and further behind the rest of the university sector in terms of salaries," said Ms Brorens.

Previous increases barely kept pace with inflation and a better deal was needed if AUT was to compete nationally and internationally in the market for academics, she said.

Ministry of Education figures show AUT's wage bill was the lowest of the universities last year - $57,389 per fulltime-equivalent staff member, compared with the average of $69,142.

But Professor McCormack said other universities had yet to agree on deals for 2005 so the claim to be falling behind others in the sector "would appear to be entirely speculative".

AUT pay increases had also consistently exceeded the inflation rate for the last four years.

"What is more, many ASTE members have also enjoyed automatic pay increases during this period, based on their length of service," he said.

"AUT is confident its offer is competitive."

A spokesman for the university said there were plans to minimise disruption.

Paul Stewart, president of the Auckland Student Movement at AUT, said some students were going through exams and others would miss vital modules because of the strike.

The movement did not support the industrial action, but was backing staff in their claims.