1,500 Union Members To Walk Off The Job On Friday

Up to 1,500 Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union members at Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland will strike for a little under 4 hours on Friday.

The strike follows a similar stoppage at University of Auckland three weeks ago, along with strikes at three other universities on the same day.

Kaiwhakahaere | Organiser and lead advocate in the Auckland negotiations, Nicole Wallace, says “progress is far too slow. The employer has been dragging their heels since our first meeting with them way back on 3 July. They have shown no real movement on the union’s claims for a decent pay rise, Living Wage accreditation and a transparent pay scale for Professional (non-teaching and/or research) Staff.”

Joining the Academic and Professional Staff on strike this week will be TEU members covered by University of Auckland’s Security and Gardeners and Medical Academic Collective Agreements, who voted to strike in ballots that closed yesterday, following a similar story in their separate negotiations.

In addition to the same issues faced by other members, Medical Academic staff (those who are training Aotearoa’s future doctors and nurses) are being asked by the employer to give up a one-off retirement payment for future staff.

Nicole Wallace says “the retirement gratuity is a condition of employment that helps to recruit and retain these essential workers from medical professions that pay much higher salaries than the university is able to offer.”

Te Pou Ahurei | National Secretary Sandra Grey says action at University of Auckland and around the country has always been about the future of our nation’s workforce.

“We desperately need to train more people into professions such as doctors and nurses as well as teachers, engineers and scientists. Our ability as a country to do this is being severely compromised by the low priority being placed on the staff we need to do it.”

The strike will take place from 1:08pm to 5pm. Members will rally on Princes Street outside the Clock Tower from 1:30.

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