ERA help sought in polytech deadlock

15th March 2010

A tertiary education provider and its union-affiliated members at loggerheads over working conditions have sought the Employment Relations Authority's help to end their dispute.

Tertiary Education Union members at NorthTec and five other institutions around the country have been in  talks for nearly a year. Industrial action has been going on since last September.

The protesting tutors refused a 2 per cent pay rise over two years, with conditions that would require them to spend 10 per cent more time in classrooms and give up some leave allowances.

But the employers  are adamant  they wish to increase staff duty days and reduce leave provisions.

TEU northern branch president Eric Stone said facilitation was the next process after mediation, which had failed. "We're now waiting to find out whether or not the Employment Relations Authority accepts our request for facilitation. Certain conditions have to be met before facilitation is approved but it's not binding on either party," he said.

Facilitation,  under the Employment Relations Act, provides a process that enables parties in employment bargaining who are having serious, sustained difficulties in concluding a collective agreement to seek the assistance of the authority.
 

After a year of negotiations, if no agreement is reached, a collective agreement expires and the employer can start to offer individual agreements.

The polytechnic agreements expired on March 1.

The other five polytechnics are Whitireia, Wintec, WITT, Unitec and Bay of Plenty Polytec.