General staff members at the University of Auckland from both TEU and the PSA are currently voting on industrial action and are holding stop-work meetings after the university intransigently proposed to put them on a new performance pay model.

Union members will meet next week to discuss bargaining and a campaign of action. They are seeking a reasonable pay increase effective February 2012, including a set percentage salary increase and commitment from the university to work together with general staff to develop a new remuneration model based on the agreed principles of fairness, transparency and objectivity.

The university has rejected these claims in negotiations and instead made a nil pay offer (maintaining they have insufficient information on the university’s financial situation) and a proposal to use currently non-existent ‘relevant’ policy to review salaries.

TEU organiser Jane Kostanich says the university consistently refuses to reach an agreement on already reduced union claims and is intransigent in negotiations.

“We have proposed that any future meetings between the parties should be with mediation assistance. A campaign is now essential to shift the employer position.”

“Performance-based pay is widely recognised by most independent researchers to be a failed management technique that does nothing to improve performance. It is notable mostly for driving down salaries and creating unhappy, unproductive workplaces,” said Ms Kostanich.