“It is virtually impossible to find politicians of any stripe anywhere in the world who will not say that tertiary education is one of the most important things we should be focusing on, and yet, at the same time, the system itself, and the people who work in it, are under more pressure than ever before.”

Mr Robinson gave a global perspective to TEU’s annual conference this week, talking about the increasing convergence around the world of managerialism and privatisation in tertiary education.

He began by noting that the number of fixed term casual positions is increasing everywhere. In Brazil 80 percent of staff are on limited term contracts, and in the United States 75 percent of people who teach in colleges or universities are in casual or fixed term employment.

“Clearly you can’t have academic freedom without security of employment.”

In Romania last year the government simply tore up the collective agreement it negotiated with its tertiary employees last year. In the United States, Wisconsin has attempted to take away the right to negotiate collectively from tertiary education staff.

He also noted that salaries are stagnating or even being cut across the world and there is an increasing loss of professional autonomy where more authority is concentrated in the hands of institution managers.

“Increasing managerialism is evident everywhere in the sector – Japan, France, Germany and Israel.”

Mr Robinson noted increased accountability requirements on both institutions and staff.

“Tertiary education is increasingly seen around the world less as a public service or public good and more as a lightly regulated private market in which consumer demand is sovereign.”

Mr Robinson concluded by noting that the global tertiary education system currently bears much in common with the global financial system prior to its collapse in 2008.

“There is an irrational exuberance about the potential profitability that exists in the system. It is based largely on debt financing and we need to expose that this is not sustainable. It could end up as a bubble that has burst”

You can hear Mr Robinson’s speech as well as NTEU assistant secretary Matt McGowan, who also gave TEU’s conference an Australian perspective on managerialism in tertiary education.

Melbourne, 7 October 2011

New Zealand is in the middle of Rugby World Cup fever. In every city and town I visit, there are signs welcoming visiting teams and supporters; events to ensure they enjoy their time in New Zealand; and, of course plenty of All Blacks flags, shirts, and posters. Go the Blacks. Front pages have been adorned with stories about the injuries suffered by our rugby elite and what this means for us as a nation.

While the rugby has been fun to watch and the general ‘party’ that has been generated by the Rugby World Cup has been great to be part of, there is a problem with rugby fever – it is pushing from sight the extremely serious political issues facing the country and the difficulties in public education.

When glancing at the news, you would hardly know that New Zealand is eight weeks from a general election and a major referendum on our electoral system

In the New Zealand tertiary education sector we are struggling to find spaces in which we can raise our concerns about the government’s on-going pressure on the tertiary sector and what this means for staff, students, and the communities they come from.  And there are serious pressures facing the sector which come from the very direction being required of our institutions by the government.

The New Zealand government’s Tertiary Education Strategy contains within it a drive for ‘increased productivity’ and ‘increased accountability’ for public expenditure. The market-model approach underpinning the strategy has created a range of disputes in universities and polytechnics that threaten the very essence of public tertiary education – the very essence of universities and vocational training.  In fact, I would argue that the current government’s approach to higher education and vocational training has pushed the tertiary education sector to capacity and it is now starting to crumble around us.

A round-up of the actions of members of the New Zealand Tertiary Education Union from the last few months signal that this is a sector under immense strain. Members at CPIT (the polytechnic in Christchurch which is supposed to be at the forefront of training workers for the rebuild of the city after all the earthquakes) held a full week of strike action to defend core conditions; members at the University of Auckland are currently carrying out industrial action to defend their core conditions (withholding information for our research assessment exercise PBRF); we have seen lightning strikes at WelTec; stop work meetings at the University of Canterbury, NMIT, and WelTec; public rallies and demonstrations at five polytechnics (Whitireia, NorthTec, Unitec, BoPP, Wintec), at the University of Auckland, and at Victoria University of Wellington. The demonstrations have not just involved staff but students as well.

Interestingly in almost all cases there are two issues at the heart of the disputes our members are engaged in and both of these are based in the deep desire held by university and polytechnic staff to defend accessible quality public tertiary education. The two issues are the defence of core conditions which enable quality research and teaching in the tertiary sector; and the interconnected issue is an attempt to defend (or reclaim) professional autonomy.

First, to the on-going attack on core conditions for research and teaching which is being played out in the New Zealand tertiary sector. At both our universities and polytechnics this has been an issue in 2011 and will continue to be an issue into 2012. I will use two examples to illustrate this issue:

• The on-going industrial action at the University of Auckland
• And the on-going industrial action at CPIT

At the University of Auckland, our members are seeking to defend a range of core conditions which currently sit in their collective agreement – including clauses on research and study leave, promotions criteria, and disciplinary guidelines. The vice chancellor is demanding academics agree to move these core conditions that are crucial to academics doing their job out of their collective agreement and into policy over which they would have no control.

The unionised academic staff are wise enough to know that it is not worth trading off these conditions for a 4 percent pay rise, and earlier this year even offered to take a nil pay increase if their conditions were left in the collective agreement. Why? Because the core conditions being defended by academic staff are not privileges or perks, they relate directly to ensuring quality education and research at the university.”

Before moving on I would like to take this moment to thank Graham and NTEU for your support in this dispute.  As was noted yesterday during your deliberations universities and their vice-chancellors want to protect their public image, and having unions and academics from around the world criticising their actions helps our members to push their case.

Back to the Auckland academics from our union who are defending their core conditions. They know there is no such thing as a free lunch in the tertiary education sector.  And this has been made clear by the vice-chancellor of Auckland who stated in a letter to staff who took the pay rise (non-union staff): ‘I need to make it clear that the University can afford a salary increase such as this [4 percent offer] for academic staff only if we can achieve the administrative efficiencies and realise the productivity gains that will follow from the changes to the employment agreements’ (Proposed Salary Increase Offer for 2011, 25 November 2010).

Our members at the University of Auckland have argued that universities are required to operate on evidence-based research and reasoned argument. The vice-chancellor argues that changing the collective agreement will create efficiencies and increase productivity. But he has produced no information to show how savings equivalent to 4 percent of academic salaries would be achieved from changes to research and study leave, discipline procedures, academic criteria for promotions and external employment policy.

Similar demands for changes to core conditions to ensure ‘productivity’ gains are seen at polytechnic sites across New Zealand. Here our members find they are being asked to ‘sell’ their ‘discretionary’ leave back to their employer, to increase their teaching hours, and increase the hours they are required to be ‘at work’ (physically available for duties), in order to increase productivity and justify pay rises.

Last week while at CPIT in Christchurch a number of members pointed out what attacks on their hours of work actually mean. Currently they are required to be at the institution for 34 hours a week; but the employer wants to change their collective agreement and require them to be available for contact for 40 hours a week. Bear in mind that this is not the totality of their jobs. The maths is simple over the working year at the polytechnics, which is 43 weeks that would mean 258 hours more work – over six weeks extra ‘work’ every year, six weeks extra that our members would have to make themselves available on the CPIT campus every year.  What is being offered in return?  Nothing.

For staff who have worked beyond the call of duty this year to make sure students received quality teaching and learning while the city was being besieged by earthquakes the calls for them to work harder and to be more flexible about when and how they teach is galling.

The calls for ‘more productivity’ are unjustified and unnecessary. These demands for rising productivity ignore the fact that public education is not a ‘production line’ into which you can force more raw product and turnout more widgets.

Though even for the hard core econocrats who dislike notions of public good we could argue that the on-going drive for productivity ignores the gains already made in the sector, gains made at a cost I might add. 

In the last three years staff: student ratios in New Zealand have risen from 1:17.9 in 2009 to 1:19.8 in 2011

All of this ‘increased productivity’ has come at a cost. In the terms of what our employers care about and the government, they have cost New Zealand institutions in terms of their reputations. While international rankings of universities are somewhat flawed, we recently noted that in the QS world rankings five of the six surveyed New Zealand universities fell down the international rankings ladder – probably due to the rising staff: student ratios among other things. And the Times Higher Education rankings released today show a similar downward slide for New Zealand institutions on the whole.

In terms of our members, the attacks on core conditions mean increased workloads, a rise in insecure work, a decline in overall morale on campuses (which has serious implications for a sector which runs on good will), and, rising bullying on campuses.

The attack on core conditions at heart is also an attack on professional autonomy at our institutions.  This is clearly what is seen with regard the demands by the University of Auckland’s vice-chancellor who is insisting that academic staff be subject to ‘managerial will’ in regard important conditions for research and research-led teaching.

Another example of these attacks on professional autonomy is being noted by members at Victoria University Wellington and at the University of Canterbury.

At Victoria University of Wellington, a range of academic programmes have been closed or reorganised with no academic input and no real consideration of the research and teaching needs of the institution and the New Zealand community.

A ground breaking case for us will be the decision by the university to make three lecturers in political science redundant, while not changing the teachings of the programme they work within.  The university is not giving financial arguments for the redundancies, which is how it has justified a range of programme closures and job cuts over the last year, in fact it has committed to putting more money into the programme.  What Victoria University management has said is that they want some changes in the direction of the political science programme and so needs to make the three lecturers redundant in order to hire three more senior staff who can reposition the programmes teaching (though they are being hired to teach some of the courses of the now sacked ‘lecturers’).

This is the first time that we have seen senior management dictating the exact teaching to be carried out within a programme. It seems at Victoria University of Wellington, control over degree programmes has moved from being the prerogative of the academic professionals of the institutions, to the realm of the managerial professional. We as professionals who are interested in teaching and learning cannot handover control of our academic courses to ‘managers’. It is crucial that staff, alongside students, have a say in the courses that we teach at an institution, for it is us who know what is happening currently in our academic disciplines around the globe.

And NZTEU will need to look at using New Zealand’s Education Act which includes academic freedom clauses. I would question whether Victoria University is meeting the demands of the law that a university be a place “primarily concerned with more advanced learning, the principal aim being to develop intellectual independence”.  It seems this institution is not respecting intellectual independence. Neither is it ensuring that they respect the legal obligation to ensure that they be “a repository of knowledge and expertise” that has a “role as critic and conscience of society”. This last role of universities as mandated in law in New Zealand includes the role that staff of universities have in being ‘critic and conscience’ on their own campuses!

I do want to mention one battle to defend ‘critic and conscience’ objectives of the Education Act which played out in a very vibrant and colourful way. As part of the ongoing industrial dispute at the University of Auckland staff and students wore yellow rosettes to the graduation.  Attempts were made to take these rosettes of a law student, Vernon Tava, before he graduated and this made headline news.  It was an embarrassment for the university to have the dispute and the actions to ban protest emblazoned across the front pages of local and national papers. Small acts can create extensive disruption.

But back to the issue of attacks on the voice of university staff and their professional autonomy.

Staff at another institution, University of Canterbury, also this week met and argued that their professional autonomy and their professional expertise is being swept aside as the institution undergoes massive change.

As you will all be aware, the city of Christchurch has suffered a series of serious earthquakes over the last 13 months. This has meant a reduction in the numbers of students at the tertiary institutions in the city – in particular with regard to first year students. And in a market model this can only mean one thing, the institution must ‘downsize’ to cope with the drop in revenue. This is an untenable position and we are continually arguing with the government and the SMT of the institutions that they are looking too short term with regard this crisis.  As was noted at a stop work meeting at the University of Canterbury on Monday – what is a short term civil defense emergency must not become a long term crisis for the university, its staff, its students, and the community.

What the staff at the university noted at a stopwork meeting on Monday on this issue was that

they have never been more consulted and less listened to

These attacks on core conditions and the professional voice in the tertiary education sector is being driven by the government’s market approach to education provision. Rising managerialism and an overarching distrust of the ‘public sector’ is creating a tense environment for our members. Once respected as autonomous professionals who would engage in collegial governance, both academic and general staff at universities and polytechnics around New Zealand have found themselves being told ‘they are lucky to have a job at all’ and ‘should feel privileged to teach’.

TEU members in New Zealand are clearly saying back – they are proud to teach and will defend quality public tertiary education with every means they have at their disposal. After all, as was said at Education International world congress this year “our conditions of teaching are our students’ conditions of learning”. We need the public and the government to acknowledge that quality teaching and learning in the tertiary sector is not something that is just ‘nice to have’, the cherry on top of the sundae that is compulsory education, it is crucial to the social, political, and economic wellbeing of New Zealand.

TEU national president Sandra Grey says TEU will be supporting Education International’s campaign.

“Pay equity is a fundamental matter of equality and fairness. When women are paid less than men for work of equal value, it goes against the basic principles of justice.”

“Pay inequity has a heavy impact not only on women, but also on their families and communities,” said Dr Grey. “When women are paid less, children suffer. Increases in women’s earnings are likely to be translated into improved investments in the economic and social sectors.”

Education International notes that women’s right to equal pay for work of equal value, have been enshrined in conventions of the International Labour Organisation. It also has a website where you can send thank you cards to teachers and download pay equity resources such as posters and fact sheets.

The last century has seen a transformation in women’s legal rights, with countries around the globe expanding the scope of women’s legal entitlements. Some of these legal entitlements, such as women’s right to equal pay for work of equal value, have been enshrined in Conventions of the International Labour Organization.

International Labour Organization (ILO)

The ILO (www.ilo.org) is the UN agency responsible for drawing up and overseeing international labour standards, backed up by a supervisory system based on regular government reports. It is unique in being a tripartite organisation of governments, employers and workers.

International labour standards have grown into a comprehensive system of instruments on work and social policy, backed by a supervisory system that is unique at the international level and that helps to ensure that countries implement the conventions they ratify.

Once a country has ratified an ILO convention, it is obliged to report regularly on measures it has taken to implement it. These reports are examined by the ILO Committee of Experts, and open for comments from workers’ and employers’ organisations. A selection of observations is discussed at the ILO Conference.

ILO Equality Conventions

In 1951, the International Labour Conference adopted the ILO Convention 100 on Equal Remuneration; and in 1958 the ILO Convention 111 on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation. These Conventions have been ratified by 168 and 169 countries respectively.

Text of the Conventions
C-100 (Equal Remuneration): http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C100
C-111 (Discrimination): http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C111

Being two of the eight “Fundamental ILO Conventions”, every ILO member state is obliged to follow the principles expressed in the Conventions on Equal Remuneration and Discrimination in Employment and Occupation. Every two years, governments have to submit a report explaining the measures they have taken to effectively apply the Convention.

Schedule for reports: http://webfusion.ilo.org/public/db/standards/normes/schedule/index.cfm.cfm?lang=EN

 Other ILO Conventions pertaining to gender equality:

• C156 Workers with Family Responsibilities, 1981 (ratified: 41 countries)
• C175 Part-Time Work, 1994 (ratified: 13 countries)
• C177 Home Work, 1996 (ratified: 7 countries)
• C183 Maternity Protection, 2000 (ratified: 21 countries)
• C189 Domestic Workers, 2011 (new convention, no ratifications yet)

Trade Unions and ILO Equality Conventions

Although laws for gender equality exist on paper for most of the world’s women, they often do not translate into real equality and justice. Through advocacy and legal action on the national, regional and international levels, trade unions can contribute to closing this implementation gap.

“Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value” – What does that mean?

• The term “equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value” refers to rates of remuneration established without discrimination based on sex.
• The implementation of the ILO convention 100 involves job comparison.
• There are methods to assess, identify and objectively compare the relative value of work.
• It is necessary to develop job evaluation systems to avoid prejudices or gender stereotypes.

ILO Step-by-Step Guide for Gender-Neutral Job Evaluation for Equal Pay: http://www.ilo.org/ wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_norm/—declaration/documents/publication/wcms_101325.pdf

Discrimination in Employment and Occupation – What does that mean?

• The Convention addresses discrimination based on race, colour, national extraction, ethnicity/ indigenous and tribal peoples, sex, religion, political opinion and social origin.
• Discrimination occurs when any distinction, exclusion or preference is made which has a negative effect on the enjoyment of equality of opportunity or treatment in employment and occupation.

Trade Union Advocacy for Proactive Laws

So-called “proactive” laws make the implementation of gender equality in public and private organizations compulsory. Generally, a “proactive” law is characterized by the following elements:

• It applies to all employers meeting certain criteria (size of workforce, for example).
• It imposes results-based obligations on these employers, within a specified time period.
• It specifies the main methodological criteria to be used to achieve these results.
• It is carried out in a joint effort by the employer and employee representatives.

ILO Supervisory System

Organisations representing employers and workers play an essential role in the system of international labour standards.

• The regular government reports on the implementation of the Equal Remuneration Convention must be submitted for review and comment to employer and worker organisations in the country.
• These organisations can also supply relevant information directly to the ILO.
• They can initiate representations for violations of ILO conventions in accordance with procedures under Article 24 of the ILO Constitution.
• Employer and worker delegates to the International Labour Conference can also file complaints against member states under Article 26 of the ILO Constitution.

Find more information on the ILO Supervisory System in the EI Trade Union Rights Manual:

http://ei-ie.org/en/websections/content_detail/3279 and contact EI for support: equality@ei-ie.org

Further Reading

Gender equality at the heart of decent work (2009): http://www.ilo.org/ wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_norm/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_105119.pdf

Equality at work: the continuing challenge (2011): http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/ @HYPERLINK “http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/%20@ed_norm/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_154779.pdf”ed_normHYPERLINK “http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/%20@ed_norm/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_154779.pdf”/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_154779.pdf

via Education International 

TEU National President Sandra Grey reports that the Education International (EI) World Congress meeting in South Africa has passed a resolution committing to addressing the distinct collective bargaining issues general staff around the world face, including a lack of respect and recognition, and poor pay and working conditions.

Dr Grey says that EI, to which TEU is an affiliate member, believes general staff should enjoy the same status, rights and conditions as other education employees with similar academic and technical qualifications and experience.

“General staff can best contribute to the health, education and safety of students when they are part of a single unified workforce that works directly for the education institutions.”

EI now intends to work directly with other global organisations, especially the ILO, to promote the conditions of work and the rights of general staff, including their right to organize and bargain collectively.

Meanwhile, general staff at Victoria University of Wellington celebrated a belated general staff day yesterday with TEU staff and members delivering cakes to general staff, and then TEU hosting a barbeque lunch and quiz. Over 130 TEU members attended the lunch, many taking the opportunity to discuss employment issues with their colleagues.

This is one of the key issues TEU National President Sandra Grey and National Secretary Sharn Riggs are currently debating in South Africa’s Cape Town, at the Education International 6th World Congress.

Education International, the global body for education unions, believes that, in many cases, the profit motive means that resources move from the direct delivery of education to administration and marketing, and cost-reduction receives higher priority than quality improvement.

Dr Grey says vocational education and training is a vital component of any education system.

The congress will be affirming this week that VET should be available to students at all stages of life. It provides essential skills and equips individuals with the necessary technical expertise and broader competences to be successful in the labour market and to participate in civic life. VET may also provide pathways for those to pursue further and higher education opportunities.

Education International affiliates will be voting on a policy statement that asserts international agencies, governments and the trade union movement need to recognise the importance of VET. Education International will commit to lobbying and campaigning for the professional and trade union rights of VET teachers and for VET systems that are publicly funded, of high quality, accessible, and that promote equal opportunities for all.

8 March: EI celebrates International Women’ Day Women around the world continue to face systemic discrimination and inequality in education opportunities and access to decent work. On International Women’s Day, educators worldwide are demanding greater investments in girls’ education and training opportunities leading to full employment and decent work for women. The year 2011 marks the centenary of International Women’s Day celebrations. Since 1911, this day has been a global event, celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women in the past, present and future, and mobilising to address the challenges. Around the globe, EI member unions organise rallies, marches, fairs and debates, and reflect on the progress made to advance women’s equality, assess the challenges facing girls and women, look at ways to improve the quality of life and to actualize rights, and to empower girls and women in all spheres of human endeavour. A strong delegation of trade unionists participated in the 55th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in February 2011. For the first time, gender, education and decent work were included together as priority themes in the UN CSW working agenda. EI President Susan Hopgood said: “We know that investment in all quality public services is a key driver of development. As such, trade unions have serious concerns with the reduction to budgets that support public services which governments have undertaken in response to the current economic crisis. If Millennium Development (MDG) and Education for All (EFA) goals are to be achieved, the investment in the public sector should be increased, not decreased.” EI Deputy General Secretary, Jan Eastman, added: “Strategies to improve access to education have been put in place in many countries. These have resulted in increased enrolment numbers for girls, and progress towards gender parity in primary school completion. High drop-out rates are still prevalent, however, and they are higher for girls in a number of developing countries, especially in secondary education, which is key for empowering girls. Drop-out rates are clearly associated with poverty, and also the related phenomenon of child labour. Girls face additional challenges because of the HIV epidemic, work in the home, and also of vulnerable, at risk employment in the entertainment industry or as domestic workers. When education is of sufficient quality, when girls are safe, fed, and pay no fees, parents will send them to school, not to work. Gender inclusive policies aimed at achieving quality primary and secondary education and ensuring universal access are the key to overcoming these development challenges and structural discriminations.” At EI’s First World Women’s Conference in January 2011 – On the Move for Equality, nearly 400 teacher trade unionists from all corners of the world came together to discuss strategies for advancing and empowering women and girls in today’s world. “Our energies are focused on improving girls’ access to education, eliminating gender stereotypes in education, and fighting for decent work and good working conditions, including pay equity, for women. We are united to make our voice heard – the voice of teachers worldwide for equality and human rights,” said Eastman. Related links/file downloads Joint ITUC/PSI/EI blog for the 55th UN CSW EI’s First World Women’s Conference in January 2011 – On the Move for Equality

Posted via email from TEU

Dr Beltrán has written to his students from jail encouraging them to continue to campaign for democratic freedoms.

“It is through open and pluralistic debate of ideas – not of the silence and the adulation of individual thought – that the university can guarantee the fulfilment of its social function and be elevated to a true instrument for social transformation… My academic life has closely been linked to the fight for democratic ideals, first as a student, later as a teacher and now as political prisoner of an establishment that criminalises committed educational work.”

You can send an email supporting Dr Ángel Beltrán Villegas at the Labour Start website.

Now is a great time to be recruiting new members to TEU. The more members we have, the more influence we have both locally and nationally. This helps TEU campaign to improve public tertiary education, and for better pay, leave and working conditions.

But, before you begin recruiting, you might need some basic information to share with the potential new members at your workplace.

1. Four reasons why you should join TEU:

• You’ll earn more at a unionised workplace” -” Each year the TEU wins pay rises for our members. Statistics show that where workplaces are well unionised salaries are higher.
• You’re more likely to get fair pay” -” TEU is campaigning to bring women’s pay and employment conditions into line with those of men. Many TEU members are women. Equitable pay and employment for women means better jobs for all tertiary education workers – men and women.
• You get more holidays and leave” -” Thanks to the TEU workers in universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics have significantly better leave entitlements than New Zealand minimums.
• You can help keep our tertiary education system public” -” TEU campaigns for public ownership and control of our tertiary education system so it benefits all New Zealand staff and students, not just those who want to make a profit off tax-payer funded services.

2. How much it costs to join:

The annual subscription to” join the TEU is 0.8% of a member’s salary up to a maximum of $550 per year. That is only about $10.50 a week, or the price of magazine and coffee. Try” this calculator to work out what your TEU subscription is likely to be. Subscriptions are generally paid by automatic salary deduction, but can be paid by other methods if necessary.

3. Recent news from the union:

Have a few copies of” Tertiary Update or” Kua Rangona handy to show potential new members some of the issues TEU is involved in around the country.

4. Other information

Other information people might want includesmembership benefits, the” history,” structure and” constitution of TEU and a” list of TEU people.

5. And of course…

The join up form is available” here on our website.

Help” Haiti

“Education International is anxious to support our member organisation CNEH, the Confédération National des Enseignants d’Haïti, to help teachers, students and communities to rebuild their lives so that they can return to work and to school,” said EI’s General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen.

Education International has set up a special fund for this purpose and urges all members and concerned individuals to contribute. Donations to the Education International Solidarity Fund can be transferred to the following account:

Education International “Fonds de Solidarité”
ING Bank
Rue du Trône, 14-16
1000″ Brussels
Account number: 310-1006170-75
IBAN: BE05 3101 0061 7075
SWIFT OR BIC CODE: BBRUBEBB

Read more…

Youth union movement opposes Douglas’s attack on young workers

The New Zealand youth union movement, Stand Up, is calling on the Government to steer clear of Roger Douglas’s Private Members’ Bill which directly attacks young workers by reinstating youth rates.

Stand Up convener James Sleep says this is yet another attack on young people.

Read more…

Contribute to” Kua Rangona

To submit local news, events or other information to” Kua Rangonacontact Stephen Day phone or text 021 2900 734 or emailhttp://scr.im/stephenday. This might include details of upcoming branch meetings, photos of events, issues you want o share with other people or even birthday wishes. If we’ve got space we’ll try to publish it.

Kua Rangona is simple weekly actions you can take to support fellow union members.

Want to know more – have you considered joining us online at” Ning,” Facebook,” Twitter or” Flickr?

A planned major office relocation at the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand that would have seen up to five academics sharing each office has recently been amended with TEU’s input.” ” The new plan will mean that no more than two academics will share an office.

Help” Haiti

“Education International is anxious to support our member organisation CNEH, the Confédération National des Enseignants d’Haïti, to help teachers, students and communities to rebuild their lives so that they can return to work and to school,” said EI’s General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen.

Education International has set up a special fund for this purpose and urges all members and concerned individuals to contribute. Donations to the Education International Solidarity Fund can be transferred to the following account:

Education International “Fonds de Solidarité”
ING Bank
Rue du Trône, 14-16
1000″ Brussels
Account number: 310-1006170-75
IBAN: BE05 3101 0061 7075
SWIFT OR BIC CODE: BBRUBEBB

Read more…

ACC cuts undermine fairness of compensation scheme

Information that ACC is targeting “high-cost” clients with a view to reducing costs of the scheme is a worrying prospect for all present and future claimants, said CTU President Helen Kelly.” Read more…

Te Wananga o Aotearoa Branch AGM

Thursday 21 January 2010 6.30pm

Nga Mihi o te tau hou ki a tatou e”  aku rau rangatira – HAPPY NEW YEAR and Welcome back whanau.

To all our new members who have joined the TEU whanau since our last AGM Feb 2009 we welcome you and “ also our long standing members we extend this invitation to join us at this year’s AGM . Key points of AGM include Whakawhanaungatanga, Collective Employment Agreement bargaining, the support TEU gives to our members and the election of new national and branch executive officers.

Bargaining at NMIT resumes

Negotiations at NMIT are set to resume shortly with strong hopes that they will conclude quickly and successfully.

Protect academic freedom in” Russia

A Tatar university professor says his contract was not extended due to his criticism of the republic’s president.

Midkhat Farukshin, Professor of Political Science at” Kazan” University” and a leading expert on political systems and federal relations, had previously been critical of Tatarstan’s President Shaimiyev in a recently published book. He also wrote the introduction to the 2006 book “Shaimiyev: The Last President Of Tatarstan,” by Irek Murtazin, an imprisoned opposition writer.

Visit the” Network for Education and Academic Rights’ website to find our how you can help.

Safety glasses for carpentry tutors at Weltec

Work by TEU members means that carpentry tutors who had previously been omitted from the polytechnic’s prescription safety lenses policy will now be covered by policy.

Thursday 18 February is Red Bag Day

Red Bag Day will see the” Pay Equity Challenge Coalition (of which TEU is a member) highlighting how far we have to go to achieve pay equity here in New Zealand. Keep an eye out in future issues ofKua Rangona for Red Bag Day events in your area.

Contribute to” Kua Rangona

To submit local news, events or other information to” Kua Rangona contact Stephen Day phone or text 021 2900 734 or emailhttp://scr.im/stephenday. This might include details of upcoming branch meetings, photos of events, issues you want to share with other people or even birthday wishes. If we’ve got space we’ll try to publish it.