Negotiations continue at AUT and Waikato.

In a year when Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union is expecting 90% of the collective agreements we negotiate to be up for renewal between June and September 2024, two universities have been in negotiations since mid-late last year, with settlements yet to be reached.

At Te Wānanga Aronui O Tamaki Makau Rau | Auckland University of Technology the employer has been seeking changes to duty hours and branch president release time along with a pay offer that is below inflation. TEU members voted for a strike in December and that possibility remains on the table. The parties are in negotiation meetings today.

Meanwhile at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato | The University of Waikato, Kaiwhakahaere | Organiser Shane Vugler says “we have received a low salary offer from the university due to the financial situation it has placed itself in.”

“The university’s funding is expected to increase in 2024, but they are arguing they don’t have the money to address inequities in pay that disproportionately impact on women and Māori, or provide a salary increase that keeps up with our members’ rising costs. The bottom line is the university is expecting staff to pay for the university’s financial decisions over recent years with job losses, stressful workloads, and unfair salaries.”