[TEU-academic] ] TEU update
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Fri May 17 2024 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Tēnā koutou katoa
Make your contribution to our 2024 bargaining campaign. Bargaining with our employer is imminent. Your union has always been people-powered and runs on the diversity of experience, talents and interests of you and your fellow members. If you are willing to contribute to a successful bargaining process this year, you can do so without having to be a part of the bargaining team. A great way is to by join the Bargaining Support Network. Please let us know that you are interested by going herehttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWzzo0IvLV735isVqSdHDugTOR7crzWli4rn-uoQiDncRQ6Q/viewform?usp=sf_link.
The Branch Committee will be holding meetings with delegates/ network contacts to discuss claims in the next few weeks. If you are a delegate/ network contact, please talk to your colleagues about what they want to see in collective bargaining so you can feed this information through.
Bargaining 101: What is Collective Bargaining? Collective Bargaining is the way that members, through their union representatives, negotiate their collective agreement with their employers to determine their pay, terms and conditions of employment. Terms of employment include things like hours of work, annual and sick leave and the way job progression works. In collective bargaining both union members and the employer bring claims to the other party of what changes they would like to see in the renewed collective agreement. You can find the current Collective Agreements at Waipapa Taumata Rau at https://uoacollectiveagreements.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/collective-employment-agreements/https://uoacollectiveagreements.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/collective-employment-agreements/. There will be more Bargaining 101 notes in subsequent Updates. Feel free to share them with your non-Union colleagues!
University Advisory Group calls for submissions. The first of several consultation phases for the University Advisory Group (UAG) opens closes on 31 May. We encourage members to respond to as many questions as possible. For more information, including consultation questions and how to make a submission, visit University Advisory Grouphttps://uag.us22.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5ce1903ca26a2f091d65cb858&id=7aa0f2a794&e=576b50b713.
To assist, a first session for Waipapa Taumata Rau staff took place yesterday with Professor Sir Peter Gluckman who chairs this group (and the Science System Advisory Group also). A link to the recorded session herehttps://www.staff.auckland.ac.nz/en/news-events-and-notices/vc-staff-forums/2024/university-review.html. The group is working under very tight time constraints, given the electoral cycle, focussed currently on high-level matters. He insisted that no political constraints had been put on the Advisory group, that he was seeking the broadest consensus among its members, and wished to make recommendations (not guaranteed to be accepted) that will “last a generation” while effectively selling to the government the value of the university sector to public education, knowledge acquisition and knowledge transfer.
[For reference, Sir Peter’s submission to the Te Ara Paerangi/Future Pathways green paper future-pathways-green-paper mbie.govt.nz is here Te Ara Paerangi – Future Pathways Green Paper submission – Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futureshttps://informedfutures.org/green-paper-submission/]
Meanwhile in Australia, Federal education Minister Jason Clare has released the highly anticipated Universities Accord final report, calling it a “blueprint” to change higher education for decades to come. Universities Accord final report: what is it, and what does it recommend? theconversation.com. See also Universities Accord: many students could pay less for their higher education … eventually theconversation.com
That faculty restructure pain? It’s your mindset. The next managerially driven phase in the faculty restructure is not, apparently, to provide staff with more information. Nor is to provide staff with more certainty. No, what is needed is an invitation to self-help sessions. HR is intent on preparing our mindsets for “potential change”, “potentially”. To this end, webinars are being offered to assist. Members of the affected faculties have been provided with topic teasers.
- “Using the change curve and SCARF to recognise common responses to change and create a more positive change experience;”
- “Where we focus our energy and attention, and how we look after our wellbeing while navigating uncertainty and change;”
- “How to identify and change the thoughts that can keep us stuck, so we can see opportunities and take action.”
Members’ reactions to these webinar offerings have come in:
- “These webinars suggest that any thoughtful, intellectual response we have about our labour, the university’s mission, a broader analysis of how we got here, and the proposed initiative can be dismissed as our psychological inability to cope with change. This view seems disrespectful to both our capacity to reason as well as our general grown-up status; it conflates genuine and valid arguments with (supposedly) irrational feelings. Ultimately, our ‘mindsets’ are the problem.”
- “The focus on change management might feel dismissive to those seeking detailed and specific proposals from the management. They essentially shift the responsibility of sharing information, being transparent, and maintaining interpersonal fairness to employees, who are expected to be more resilient to a growingly toxic environment. This is very bad practice.
- “Rather than stigmatise staff for having genuinely individual emotional reactions to a plan that will end some jobs and careers, HR prefers us to have emotional reactions which are more convenient to them.”
- “Techniques for emotional regulation and stress management, cognitive-behavioural strategies to reframe negative thoughts, and exercises to build resilience and adaptability, while useful skills, do not address the fundamental issues of transparency and job security that people are rightly concerned about. Doing so burdens individual employees with the responsibility to deal with uncertainty, to be more resilient when facing the increasing levels of uncertainty that impact their livelihoods.”
- “If our reactions were to a clear, detailed, rational plan, perhaps this would be useful. Our reactions are to being denied information, as if it is above our level of competence to understand.”
- “What an assortment of pop psychology topics. Has HR forgotten that affected members include eminent scholars who deserve more respectful dialogue?”
- “It is absolutely typical of the employer proceeding with yet another ill-advised and hasty restructure to suggest that staff with understandable reservations about the lack of clarity about timeframes, workload, and whether or not they will keep their jobs need a ‘mindset adjustment’. Perhaps those driving this restructure should adjust their mindset to be a touch more empathetic towards staff…now there’s an idea.”
- “What? No free copies of ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’”*
- Noting that the webinar invitation uses ‘potential’ to qualify the restructure three times in two sentences: “The word ‘potential’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting… As if you’d put these sessions on unless a decision hadn’t already been made.”
- “..the offering is in line with HR ‘solutions’ I have seen before: those that send staff information about time management skills sessions when someone dares saying something about their heavy workload… before even listening to what the workload matter is.”
- Others include: “…always delightful to be gaslit at work” and “…do they have a sociopathically deficient theory of mind?”
I hope that members who opt to attend at least one webinar will provide us with feedback. In the meantime, have communicated our views to senior management.
*Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson (1998), a book that Barbara Ehrenreich called "the classic of downsizinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layoff propagandahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda."
Congratulations to TEU member Sam Mehr (Psychology) for being awarded the 2023 Te Puiaki Kaipūtaiao Maea, Prime Minister's MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize. Learn more about Sam’s work on the cognitive science of how humans perceive and produce music.https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2024/05/02/samuel-mehr-unravelling-musics-mysteries.html
Congratulations also to TEU BC member Rachel Simon-Kumar (Social and Community Health) who leads, with Roshni Peiris-John, the Centre for Asian and Ethnic Minority Health Research and Evaluation CAHRE. The Centre was recognised for its contributions to public health via the PHA Asian and Ethnic Peoples Public Health Award at the recent Public Health Association of New Zealand (PHA) Conference in Rotorua. The Centre’s transdisciplinary research with ethnic and minority communities spans youth health, addictions, women’s health, intimate partner and family violence, racism and environmental health.
Universities have rejected Education Review Office criticism of their teacher-training courses. In a report published on Monday, the ERO said 60 percent of the principals it interviewed said their new teachers were not ready to be in the classroomhttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/516632/many-new-teachers-feel-unprepared-for-classroom-ero. But the reviews of the review office are in: Universities reject ERO criticism of teacher training courses | RNZ Newshttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/516698/universities-reject-ero-criticism-of-teacher-training-courses
The government has somehow found $153 million behind the sofa to spend on the ACT Party’s exercise in union busting. On ACT’s Charter Schools Experiment | Scoop Newshttps://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2405/S00047/on-acts-charter-schools-experiment.htm
Also, when David Seymour describes sushi as ‘woke’, it’s clear he has no clue as to its origin or meaning. TEU member Neal Curtis (Humanities) on what has gone wrong. Where the 'woke' word fits in a history of racism - Newsroomhttps://newsroom.co.nz/2024/05/14/where-woke-fits-in-a-history-of-racism/
Student protests on Gaza. “While eliminationist rhetoric divides us, I believe it is possible for the non-extremists on all sides to unite behind two goals: ending the war and bringing justice, freedom, and equality to Palestinians not at the expense of or dehumanization of Israelis.” Are US campus protests antisemitic? Jewish students weigh in | Theo Goldstine, Benjamin Kersten, Maya Ilany and Matan Berg | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/15/campus-protest-jewish-student; and “The student left is the most reliably correct constituency in America.” US students, once again, have led the way. Now we must all stand up for Palestinians | Osita Nwanevu | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/13/campus-gaza-protests-student-protesters-role-history
Meanwhile, “Unionized graduate students who work at University of California campuses and graduate student workers at the University of Southern California are threatening Thursday to walk off their jobs in response to escalating tensions surrounding pro-Palestinian protests at schools. UC unionized workers authorize strike over protests – NBC 7 San Diego nbcsandiego.com
A request to divest. Colleagues have initiated a campaign asking for the University of Auckland Foundation and the University of Auckland Medical and Health Sciences Foundation to divest from corporations involved in human rights abuses, as well as those associated with the production of weapons, weapon components, or services to the defence industry. Additionally, they are urging the Foundations to align their investment strategy with the Principles for Responsible Investment, which entail specific accountabilities and obligations. The motivation behind this campaign stems from ongoing conflicts worldwide which are resulting in unprecedented levels of forced displacement and civilian casualties. The group believes that the university should not continue to support investment practices which are in contradiction to its values. A link to the petition is available herehttps://forms.gle/SRoweF7Crq1YJ7vS7.
Since the petition was launched a week ago 290 staff, students, and alumni of UoA have signed the petition thus far. Members who haven’t signed the petition are encouraged to do so. Additionally, the organisers encourage members to spread the word and share information about this petition with other non-union staff and alumni (particularly distinguished alumnihttps://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/alumni/our-alumni/distinguished-alumni/past-winners.html of the institution with whom members may have contact). Colleagues in the Business School and School of Engineering are less well represented amongst signatories thus far.
Mexico is likely to have its first woman president. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is also a scientist. Mexico’s Next President Will Be a Woman - The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/world/americas/mexico-women-president-candidates.html. But the scientists are not so optimistic: aaas.sciencepubs.orghttps://click.aaas.sciencepubs.org/?qs=609b3d72df6c8443f4b839c4198f3b7dd81eb3010a247a2fe80dbd79e35fa4966bf413a96d3f1f480c4ba1338f54696a6dc9f6071c831d235572b4aaa8dc38cd
At least 60,000 papers—slightly more than 1 percent of all scientific articles published globally last year—may have used an LLM, according to research by Andrew Gray (UC London). Chatbots Have Thoroughly Infiltrated Scientific Publishing | Scientific Americanhttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chatbots-have-thoroughly-infiltrated-scientific-publishing/
Journal of Trial and Error. Addressing the “file drawer problem” is serious science. Illuminating ‘the ugly side of science’: fresh incentives for reporting negative results nature.com
Reminders.
- Office hours on campus. We have a TEU office on campus, Room 417 in the Fisher Building on Waterloo Quadrant. Ordinarily, TEU Organisers Nicole and Andy have walk-in office hours every Friday between 10am and 2pm. They can be contacted by email: nicole.wallace@teu.ac.nz or andy.hipkiss@teu.ac.nz
- TEU Yoga Classes moved to the Grafton Campus. The next class will be May 23. Classes run from 0800-0855 and take place in Building 507 lobby (where the tennis table is set up). Some mats will be provided but you are welcome to bring your own. The classes will be led by Reha Kumar, winner of the Yoga Teacher of the Year Award from Sport New Zealand in 2023 and active yoga advocate and educator. Reha teaches accessible yoga for all body types. Each class is capped at 20 students and is free for TEU members. Non-member guests are welcome but will need to bring a $10 contribution in cash, students welcome for a gold coin donation. You are welcome to register your interest using this formhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUwJAh0vXWRc8XdcX2GecKgdryQL6HVADNI1rpGlQZoZaBRA/viewform?usp=sf_link.
- Deadline tonight for submissions to Science System Advisory Group. SSAG is open for submissions: Submit - Science System Advisory Group ssag.org.nz. It intends to work in several phases, with submissions sought during successive phases. “Phase 1 submissions will consider high-level sectoral questions that consider the role of science and innovation in New Zealand to inform the interim report. They are now seeking public submissions for Phase 1 for the Science System Advisory Group. Submissions for Phase 1 will close at 11.59pm, Friday 17 May 2024.” (“Phase 2 will focus on operational details (e.g. funding tools and mechanisms, workforce, infrastructure etc.), broader aspects of the science and innovation system and the many elements of the science and innovation system not specifically addressed here.”).
- Academic Workload Guidelines have finally been released. This was work with unofficial, de facto TEU input and we thank our members for being engaged in this process. Academic staff: make sure you read these (along with the Academic Workload Principles and Policy herehttps://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about-us/about-the-university/policy-hub/people-culture/academic-processes-standards/academic-workload-principles-policy.html). If your workload is not consistent with either the Guidelines or the Policy, raise this with your Academic Head. And contact the organisers, Nicole or Andy, if the issue is not resolved. Academic Workload Guidelines - The University of Aucklandhttps://www.staff.auckland.ac.nz/en/human-resources/resources/academic-workload-guidelines.html
Please consider sharing this and subsequent Updates (electronically or print) with colleagues who may benefit from knowing what we are doing.
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Barry Hughes, PhD School of Psychology Phone: +64 9 923 5265 Extension: 85265
