Media Release

17 November 2009

Student marks now in danger from polytechnic strikes

Tertiary Education Union members at Waikato Institute of Technology have voted today to withhold student marks as part of their ongoing industrial action.  They join their colleagues at Unitec and Whitireia Polytechnic in the withholding of all student assessment marks and will not participate in any processing of marks.  Union members at the three polytechnics and three other polytechnics, Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, NorthTec and Western Institute of Technology have been involved in a long running dispute with their employers over an attempt to protect their existing working conditions from being eroded.

Staff at the six polytechnics resumed industrial action two weeks ago and have been involved in prolonged strikes ever since. Staff are seeking to retain their existing working conditions and leave entitlements as well as an improved pay increase.  Employers are seeking to remove some of their academic staff’s working conditions and are currently offering a 2 percent pay increase over two years.

“The last thing lecturers want to do is to undermine their students’ learning,” said Tertiary Education Union national industrial officer Irena Brorens, “and they certainly don’t want to withhold assessment marks, but the employers are leaving them with no choice. They are taking this action to protect our long standing working conditions that allow them to be good teachers and to give the best education they can to students in their local communities.”

“Withholding assessment marks is a legitimate and legal industrial action, although one that we strongly regret needing to use.”

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