Volume 6, Number 5, December 2014

The President Speaks: A Christmas Message We have much to celebrate this year as a community. Colleagues from around the campus have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to both the University and the Union. I want to again congratulate those academics and general staff members who received promotions in the latest round. Lucky new member Pieter Pelser won the Branch iPad draw. Though not a contest of wit or skill, it is still an achievement worth noting!

We also should spare a moment to remember those valued colleagues who have left our community, or passed away.

Your Branch intends to hit 2015 running. Early in the New Year we’ll be asking each of you to consider making a commitment to the Branch as a sector representative or just an active member. Please look out for those announcements. Your Branch is already busy planning for the upcoming bargaining round. To help keep our position strong, have a chat with any non-members in your work area and see if they might be interested in joining together under the TEU banner.

On behalf of the Branch I wish you all an invigorating, refreshing and restorative break and a very happy new year.

Jack Heinemann

TEU Awards

President Jack receives a TEU nationally-endorsed award for his championing of Academic Freedom. He is shown here in Wellington supported by Canterbury Maori rep Garrick Cooper and Canterbury delegate Grant Bush Jennifer Middendorf of CEISMIC at the University of Canterbury and Megan Clayton late of Bridging Programmes and now of Lincoln University (Branch Vice President and President respectively) were also nationally recognised with an award for their support and contribution (”above and beyond”) during the arduous time for our General Staff members during the ‘Project STAR’ era. A suitably social ceremony will be organised early in the New Year to present these well-deserved awards.

Law Change and its Effect in the Workplace

Our TEU National President has responded to recent inequitable industrial law changes. Members reading this are provided some protection due to their membership of TEU, an employer who has not indicated that they will try and take advantage of this change, and a Collective Agreement that provides for a legal entitlement to Meal and Rest Breaks (General Staff, Maintenance, Cleaners & Medical Staff – see Clause D.1.4).

This new law removes significant worker rights and makes it harder for us as union members to stand up for fair pay and working conditions. The government passed this bill as one of its first acts since being re-elected, but, as a union, we have been preparing for it for many months now. While the law is bad news for working people generally, unions and our members are still doing good work. To do that, we need new members. When we have the support of everyone at a workplace, we have the democratic power to influence.

Please take the time to let your friends and colleagues know you belong to a union that achieves fairer working conditions and better pay for all tertiary education staff. Make sure every new colleague knows they have a choice to join our union, and why, if you want to win, it is better to be in a team, than struggling alone. The best way to protect yourself from this new law is to be in a union.

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Positives and Progress in Dealing with Asbestos

TEU Organisers Gaby and Paul are pleased to say that, following on from the recent article in the last TEU Newsletter, we have had an immediate and positive response from the University. A high-level attendance by Alex Hanlon, Director of Learning Resources, Paul O’Flaherty, HR Director, Rob Oudshoorn, Group Manager Engineering, and Allan Green, also from Engineering, indicates the seriousness with which the issue is being taken. Bruce Vincent, TEU Trades Representative, and Geoff from the EPMU also participated, with support from TEU Organiser Gaby. Ron Angel, an organiser from the EPMU, is also participating in the debate.

If exposure to asbestos immediately made your nose bleed we would likely have very few cases of the occupational disease mesothelioma or asbestosis. Sadly, asbestos is more insidious than this and exposure and the potentially fatal consequences of its associated disease can sometimes only become obvious decades later, often too late.

We credit the University for immediately acknowledging the incident that added to our members’ concerns. Director of Learning Resources, Alex Hanlon, in her All Staff memo noted, “The most recent TEU newsletter discusses asbestos at UC and highlights an incident where appropriate procedures were not followed which led to an asbestos exposure. The University takes this extremely seriously and I thought it appropriate to update you on our current plans and processes. As part of UC’s ongoing remediation, an asbestos audit is underway – this includes other hazardous materials that we may come across. We plan to remove most hazardous materials during remediation…

“UC will comply and aim to exceed the New Zealand standards for this work. All sampling will be undertaken by certified and experienced practitioners. Companies contracted to do the work will follow UC protocols which are likely to demand procedures over and above New Zealand standards. Their compliance will be regularly monitored.”

TEU have a range of questions and concerns that we have tabled, such as: training and specific awareness to be undertaken regarding the identification, handling, and removal of asbestos; dealing with asbestos during demolition; potential impact on tradesmen where it is sealed/encapsulated rather than removed but later disturbed; awareness of where this sealing/encapsulation has occurred; accessibility to the UC asbestos register and how it is kept up to date; compliance with legislative and regulatory standards in relation to all aspects of asbestos on campus; building surveys, and procedures and reporting lines for event investigations.

NOW, if we can just make some progress for tradesmen and their issue of wanting training and refreshers in the safety critical area of confined space and heights. They note this had been highlighted several times without success to date and staff don’t have a predetermined refresher.

“…To safeguard their health, audit work will be carried out by certified practitioners according to WorkSafe New Zealand guidelines. To make way for the audit staff will be asked to temporarily vacate the room for approximately 5 – 10 minutes, while sampling is undertaken…” – Alex Hanlon

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Red Cross and Resilience Further to the recent TEU email survey, we advise that we have had a positive response from members interested in following up on the Red Cross Recovery programme.

After discussions with HR, we will likely try and coordinate this in with the excellent Resilience workshops available through the University. With the timing being what it is we would intend to follow up with those who have expressed interest (and others who may have reconsidered the possible value) in the New Year.

In the meantime, if you need to talk any related issues through please contact TEU Organisers Gaby Moore or Paul Corliss at TEU House for an attentive ear.

Academic Freedom’s first annual meeting will take place at 12:30 on Tuesday 16 December.

Nicky Hager (author of Dirty Politics), Nicola Gaston (President of the NZ Association of Scientists) and Wayne Brittendon (Radio NZ) will all be speaking briefly on academic freedom. After that we will be discussing our issues and plans for 2015. It will be an informal meeting and will only take about 45 minutes or an hour. This meeting will be held with a combination of video conference and teleconference. We have set up video conference facilities in places where we have more than one person who has said they would like to attend.

At the University of Canterbury, grab some lunch and head along to:

Room 223, SBS2 Biology

12:30 pm, Tuesday 16 December

Following concerns about the process of setting Summer Hours of Work for library members, the TEU met with Librarian Anne Scott, Senior HR advisor Michel Fivet, and Asst. Librarian Coral Black. The key concern was that there may have developed a view that seeking cooperation and consultative agreement on changing members’ ordinary hours of work was no longer required to the same level as previously.

The TEU have been comfortable to date in allowing members, with support from library representatives, to deal directly with their managers in setting hours of work. This cooperative approach has clearly worked well for and to the advantage of the University for many years. Whether TEU and its members revisit their ongoing support for this approach will be dependent on the positivity of responses to our letter.

The clauses in the general staff collective agreement are reasonably clear and unambiguous for ‘hours of work’ clauses.

Some members (and managers) were confused as to what their actual agreed ‘ordinary hours of work’ are. Similarly there appeared to be a creeping neglect of formalising agreed variations to hours of work and the need for these to be written and mutually signed. The sending of an email does not in itself comply with this obligation. Some of the key clauses read:

“…except by mutual agreement of the employer and the individual employee…”

“All employees shall have regular hours…”

“These may be varied in writing by the Employer and any employee directly affected…”

“The Employer will respect the right of employees who do not wish to vary their hours of work.”

We also re-emphasised, as does the letter, that the collective is very clear on employer obligations as it relates to hours of work and the spirit and intent of those needed to be honoured rather than seen as unnecessary obstacles to what we acknowledge is a busy time of year. We understand that it is an issue requiring some juggling of staff needs against workplace demands. The meeting was overall positive, with both parties aware of the need for and committed to mutual cooperation to make the system work. The re-emphasis on the contractual provisions was also helpful.

TEU’s intention is to send out a summary of the meeting and our concerns and library management assurances. We will also be arranging a meeting of library members in the early New Year to update them on the details.

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Women Miss out on Top University Jobs

Extract from the NZ Herald, Saturday December 6 2014: “A damning report showing women at the Auckland University of Technology were occupying increasingly fewer senior academic roles was kept out of the public domain. According to the report, of which the Weekend Herald obtained a draft, AUT was the only university to show a decrease in the proportion of women in senior academic roles between 2003 and 2010, declining from 29.41 to just 24.79 per cent. The report also found women at AUT in senior academic roles were paid less than male counterparts in senior positions and were also less likely to apply for promotions or be successful in promotion applications. Only 27 per cent of applicants for professor jobs were female and women had a 50 per cent rate compared with men’s 56 per cent. Despite the back-slide, AUT ranked second among all universities for female participation. Across the sector women occupied one-fifth, or 22.45 per cent, of senior roles.”

Canterbury TEU Pasifika representatives

Ashalyna Noa and Lynsey Talagi

Pasifika News The University’s Pasifika Strategy 2014-2018 has been approved by the University Council and was launched at a moving celebration and live performances last month. The Pasifika Strategy is an important document designed to ensure all service areas and departments at UC carefully consider how best to attract, support and engage with Pasifika learners and their communities. This is a significant milestone that calls on a pan-university support to achieve its aims. Students, staff and Pasifika communities all celebrate the achievement of this landmark

We also send out a big ‘bula’ and note the appointment of Fijian academic Dr Steven Ratuva as professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and as director of the prestigious Macmillan Brown Research Centre for Pacific Studies. One of Dr Ratuva’s tasks will be to further the ambitions of the Centre, towards a world-class facility for Pacific research. He will start at Canterbury in January 2015.

New Member iPad Draw Winner High up on the Philippine Plateau, and in between dissecting sunflower DNA, new TEU member Dr Pieter Pelser contemplates his good fortune

Pieter is not just a Lecturer in Plant Systematics and Director of the University of Canterbury Herbarium (CANU) he is also the new TEU member who won an iPad at a recent draw announced by President Jack Heinemann. Well done Pieter, be assured there is more value and support in TEU membership than a fortuitous iPad!

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TEU House Ceremony Recognises Long-Serving TEU Members

Left: Lesley Francey (TEU National President) welcomes members to the recognition of long-serving TEU members and the iPad draw. Lesley noted the appropriateness of the function in that her first official role as President two years ago involved a visit to the University of Canterbury Branch and this visit was to be her last official role. The joining of the circle was applauded as were those members who turned up for their badges. Other qualifying TEU members who were unable to make it will be followed up, although it may be early next year.

Above: Glenn Busch (Senior Lecturer at the School of Fine Arts) watches proceedings from the comfort of his cuppa.

Above: Kevin Lapslie (Warehouseman, Distribution Services) and Lynsey Talagi (Scholarships Advisor).

Above: Prof. Anne-Marie Brady (School of Social & Political Science) Assoc. Pro. Islay Marsden (Lecturer in Marine Biology).

Below: Peter Glassenbury, (Systems Manager in Computer Science) looks suitably chuffed as Lesley presents his badge.

Right: Dr Paul Broady

(Lecturer in Algal

Taxonomy), a long-time

TEU member.

Left: Islay Marsden and Reijel Gardiner (Technician SBS) discuss the merits of TEU membership.

Above: Lesley Francey presents Dr Emma de Lacey (IT Project Manager, ICTS) with her TEU badge. As some will recall, Emma was a well-regarded Co-Chair of the Canterbury Branch a few years back.

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Zero-Hour Agreements are Extreme Casualisation

How is this is happening in the middle of what Bill English alleges is a “Rock Star Economy”?

Unite Union and the CTU and other unions are calling for a ban of “zero hour” contracts following evidence their use in NZ is spreading. Zero-hour contracts don’t guarantee any hours of work and employees have to be ready to come in when they’re called. This form of extremely casualised work makes it virtually impossible for employees to plan for their lives.

Tackling the exploitative use of zero hours contracts, making sure that those who do regular work can receive regular hours contracts along with all of the rights and protections afforded to regular workers is an issue for all workers, even those with collective agreement protection.” He said they made workers vulnerable to abuse as they became too nervous to speak out, for fear of having their hours reduced. “There’s no security and it puts enormous power in the hands of managers. People are extremely reluctant to assert their rights for simple things like breaks,” he said.

Your favourite fast-food fix plays a key role… “McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Burger King, Wendy’s - all of the contracts have no minimum hours,” said Unite Union’s Mike Treen, “People can be, and are, rostered anywhere from 3 to 40 hours a week, or sometimes 60 hours a week.” NZ First says they must be outlawed, the Human Resources Institute has joined the call for zero hour contracts to be dropped saying it pushes desperate workers too far. KFC worker and Unite Union member Tegan Tinsley is on a zero-hour agreement and she says it is stressful not knowing how many hours she would be working each week.

“One week I’ll be really comfortable with my hours and the next week my hours will drop by 10 or 20 hours so I will start panicking and looking for a new job, and then they will be bumped up again the next week,” one KFC worker told Stuff this week.

Sign the petition here: http://www.actionstation.org.nz/banzerohours?recruiter_id=26659

Congratulations to ex Branch Committee member and TEU Māori Representative Di Gordon-Burns on gaining her Doctorate and an accompanying Award

Di Gordon-Burns and some of her whanau support

TEU’s Te Pou Tuara Māori Officer Lee Cooper and Canterbury Academic Māori Rep Garrick Cooper.

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Te Toi Ahurangi/Te Uepu A social evening was organised for Māori members to kōrero with their new TEU representatives, provide an opportunity to socialise as well as a forum to discuss some of the upcoming issues. In particular they engaged on national office matters and a local position to advocate on relevant issues for the upcoming national TEU conference; Kaupapa Whaioranga; Te Reo Māori strategy and discussion on a strategic agenda for Māori moving forward in the TEU. Discussion also centred on how the union might be able to strategically support Māori staff members at the University of Canterbury by trying to garner backing at a broader level for initiatives, notwithstanding the importance of addressing day to day issues and supporting staff with urgent and pressing employment matters.

Contact your organisers

University of Canterbury CPIT and ITP Sector UC TEU Branch Officers

President Secretary/Treasurer Regional Administrator/Office Jack Heinemann Tim O’Sullivan Madison Walker Biological Sciences Central Library Lending Services Extension 4150 Extension 6926 Extension 7962 Madison.walker@teu.ac.nz

Gabrielle Moore 021 190 2396 Extension 6485 gabrielle.moore@teu.ac.nz

Paul Corliss 021 859129 Extension 6288 paul.corliss@teu.ac.nz

Phil Dodds 027 44 99 422 Extension 6768 phil.dodds@teu.ac.nz

Left: (l to r clockwise around table) Garrick’s rather attractive head, Mere Skerrett, Pat Daly, Ripeka Hurunui-Tamanui, Phil Borrell, Liz Brown, Benita Rarere-Briggs, Karen Murphy (partially obscured) and Teena Henderson

Below: (l to r) Phil Borrell, Co-convenor Liz Brown, Benita Rarere-Briggs, and Karen Murphy

Above: Co-convenor Garrick Cooper and Mere Skerrett with Gaby and Jack in the background