15 June 2005
Universities salary group to be established
The Minister of Education, Trevor Mallard, has given the green light to a proposal to establish a university salaries group to consider and resolve issues around salaries in the university sector. The group would comprise the Minister (or representatives), vice-chancellors and union representatives.
The Minister has directed officials to set up, as soon as possible, a University Tripartite Forum to focus on high-level strategic salary issues, and provide information to inform future budget and bargaining strategies.
In establishing the group, the Minister was responding to a proposal from the university unions to develop a tripartite mechanism to ensure that university staff are paid "fair and appropriate" salaries, sufficient to recruit and retain suitable staff, strengthen employee commitment to the delivery of quality tertiary education research and teaching, and enable universities to build on the existing reputation and skill base.
Combined unions' spokesperson, Professor Nigel Haworth said that this was a significant development and would provide the basis for a constructive approach for all parties to determine salary levels which would allow New Zealand universities to maintain pace with the international market.
"This move will be welcomed by university staff as it will allow a constructive and cooperative approach to the resolving salary problems in a manner we have been seeking for a number of years.
The proposal from the unions and the Minister's response can be found on the AUS website:
http://www.aus.ac.nz/national_bargaining/2005/BackgroundInfo/USGProposal .pdf
http://www.aus.ac.nz/national_bargaining/2005/BackgroundInfo/Mallard-Sal sGrp.pdf
ENDS