Media release
24 April 2002
Attention Education and Industrial Reporters
Lincoln University staff ratify employment agreement
Lincoln University academic staff members of the Association of University Staff [AUS] voted today to ratify the employer's offer for a collective employment agreement.
The offer is for a 3% salary increase from 15 May 2002, a further 2% from 2 January 2003, and a commitment to a further negotiated increase from 1 April 2003. The term of the agreement is to 31 October 2002.
Lincoln AUS Branch President, Dr Jim McAloon, said that the early expiry date, similar to that achieved in other universities, was a critical feature of the offer as it allowed the possibility of a co-ordinated national campaign for a more significant increase later in the year.
At the same time, he said, Lincoln members only reluctantly accepted the offer as it falls far short of what is necessary to make up for a decade of salary erosion.
"Academic staff have, in the strongest possible terms, called on Lincoln's Vice-Chancellor and Council to increase their efforts to persuade the government to implement real increases for university resources and staff salaries," he said. "And we call directly upon the Government to address the underfunding of universities in a way that ensures staff do not continue to bear the cost of that declining funding."
Contact
Dr Jim McAloon
President
Lincoln Branch
Association of University Staff of New Zealand
phone: (03)3252811 extn 8926 wk
(03) 3814093 hm