We Are The University

[TEU-academic] ] TEU update

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Fri Jun 21 2024 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Tēnā koutou katoa

BARGAINING 2024. It is time again to negotiate collective bargaining. There are some exciting claims proposed this year to take to the employer. Starting next week, you get to vote on these. We are holding claims endorsement meetings, for you to hear about and vote on the proposed claims and from the bargaining teams.

You should have received invitations to the meetings below. If not, please email lucy.fowler@teu.ac.nz. We recommend coming to an in-person meeting if possible, so staff who work in remote campuses or overseas have space to ask questions in the zooms. Academic and Professional Staff Endorsement Tuesday 25 June 12-1pm Owen G Glenn Rm 260-040B - City Campus, Tuesday 25 June 3-4pm – zoom, check invite for link Thursday 27 1-2pm Owen G Glenn Rm 260-040B - City Campus Thursday 27 3-4pm - zoom, check invite for link Medical Academics Wednesday 26 June 2-3pm - zoom, check invite for link University Security and Gardeners Monday 1 July 2-3pm – location TBA

The Bargaining Support Network held its first meeting in mid-June, and there are some key opportunities to contribute to the bargaining campaign without needing to be on the bargaining team! Are you a data master? A comms wizard? A creative thinker? Our group has three focuses, communications (including a TEU branch podcast), data research, and action. The work is member-driven and if you can help out in one of these three, areas let us know by going herehttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWzzo0IvLV735isVqSdHDugTOR7crzWli4rn-uoQiDncRQ6Q/viewform.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWzzo0IvLV735isVqSdHDugTOR7crzWli4rn-uoQiDncRQ6Q/viewform

The strength that our collective voice has in bargaining depends on our membership. This is the time you must each step forward and talk to your colleagues to get them to join the union. Only union members get to have input into bargaining, vote on offers to decide if your employer’s offer is good enough and if required take action to strengthen the offer. This is all about numbers. Please encourage your colleagues to join up: www.teu.ac.nz/joinhttp://www.teu.ac.nz/join

EDSW Faculty restructure. The Branch will be giving feedback on this proposal. We have set up a google doc for affected members to enter you views for that feedback and to raise any questions. You should have received an email with that google doc link from Nicole.Wallace@teu.ac.nz. We encourage affected members to also give their own individual and group feedback by 25 June midday.

Health, safety, and wellbeing. Last week we reported that we declined to immediately sign off on the ACC audit request, on account of the perceived gaps in wellbeing protections. We advised HR of this. We received a response on the same day, pointing out that an inability to audit would result in reversion to ACC coverage which is problematic in the current political environment (see, e.g., herehttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/520003/acc-taken-to-court-as-claimants-lose-jobs-homes-while-waiting-for-disputes-to-be-reviewed and herehttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/518563/acc-levies-may-increase-due-to-rise-in-serious-injuries-rehabilitation-costs). We signed but sought assurances that we will get answers to our questions this week re:

Academic freedom. This week the all-staff forum involved discussion on the draft academic freedom policyhttps://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/notices/2024/draft-freedom-expression-academic-freedom-policy-consultation.html. Peter Hunter, who led the Senate group that drafted the policy, participated and answered questions. Not all conceivable questions were asked, and not all answers were definitive, so we encourage members to provide feedback to academicfreedom.consultation@auckland.ac.nz. Members are also welcome to share their reactions to the policy with us. Email me, in strict confidence.

TEU’s Academic Freedom Conference. Members may also be interested in this conference to be held 19-20 September online. The call for abstracts is now open. Abstracts can be sent to jordyn.broughton@teu.ac.nz. The peer review panel will accept individual abstracts or proposals for panels to be run on the topic of Academic Freedom. Abstracts are due by 5pm 22 July 2024. The conference looks to examine the state of academic freedom in Aotearoa and ways in which staff and students can push back against attacks on academic freedom. Registrations are now open: click the link below and enter the password: Freedom24. If you have any questions, please email julie.douglas@teu.ac.nz https://www.cognitoforms.com/NZTEU/_2024AcademicFreedomConferencehttps://teu.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fb04aaec9ab34fde94735fa91&id=bb8ee6121a&e=73acac1ec2

Massey U’s intrusion into academic freedom. Clause 8 of the proposed Academic Freedom policy here states: “The exercise of academic freedom is also subject to the constraints imposed by the University by way of its reasonable requirements to:

Safe spaces, dangerous talk. In March, a temporary sign identifying a space by Māori students and Pacific students was described by politicians as segregation, leading to abuse and death threats directed at students and staff. Students and staff faced death threats over spaces for Pasifika and Māori - NZ Heraldhttps://www.nzherald.co.nz/talanoa/auckland-university-students-and-staff-faced-death-threats-over-spaces-for-pasifika-and-maori/DIYYOKUCW5HB3CHXL6Q6SYHPLQ/. Gender pay gap. Gender interacts with ethnicity, don’t forget. Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo on why we must include ethnicity in all pay transparency conversations msn.com

The return of paternalism? TEU member Kendra Cox (Education and Social Work) discusses the repeal of the bill repealing Oranga Tamariki's obligation to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The bill repeals section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act, a section that includes Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations including the creation of partnerships with iwi and Māori organisations. on Waatea News: Māori Radio Stationhttps://waateanews.com/2024/06/18/kendra-cox-faculty-of-education-and-social-work-at-the-university-of-auckland/

The mess that is Te Pūkenga. “Six months after ordering Te Pūkenga to stop work, the government has told it to resume cost-cutting and asset sales at its polytechnics…The Tertiary Education Union told RNZ the directive would create more stress and uncertainty for under-pressure staff.” Te Pūkenga told to resume cost-cutting and asset sales | RNZ Newshttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/519830/te-pukenga-told-to-resume-cost-cutting-and-asset-sales. See also ‘Planting a pretty flower garden when you can’t pay the rent’ - Minister Penny Simmonds slams Te Pūkenga priorities msn.com Good news for high school students. The 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) measured creative thinking for the first time and this country's average score of 36 was the fifth-highest of the 81 participating nations. NZ teens score highly for creative thinking | RNZ Newshttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/520056/nz-teens-score-highly-for-creative-thinking. Meanwhile Four young Māori earn scholarships for Ivy League education msn.com

95 and still going… Noam Chomsky’s entire life has been “dedicated to insisting, and showing, that the essence of his project is something to which any decent person can aspire, and every single person in institutions of learning should take as not only an inspiration but a duty. It is highly unlikely that the credentialed professionals calling themselves intellectuals will ever engage in this task as a group. But it is not hard to see Chomsky’s influence on the emerging generation of activists today.” Let’s Celebrate Noam Chomsky, the Intellectual and Moral Giant jacobin.com. Incidentally, reports of his death in Brazil have been denied by his wife: Noam Chomsky's wife says reports of 95-year-old activist's death are false msn.com.

Reminders.

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