Academics threaten to withhold exam results

Photo / Herald on Sunday

Staff at the University of Auckland are threatening to stop teaching some classes and withhold students' exam results as part of an ongoing industrial dispute.

More than 900 academic staff have voted to step up industrial action if a mediation meeting planned for this month is not productive, alarming students who are worried about the implications.

Union members reached a stalemate with the university this year after rejecting an offer of a 4 per cent pay rise because it comes at the expense of certain core conditions they refuse to give up.

Tertiary Education Union organiser Jane Adams said members had carried out lower-level action - including picketing at public events and withholding research portfolios needed for national funding calculations - for the past three months.

Now it was time to up the ante.

Ms Adams said a meeting, with the assistance of the Department of Labour's mediation service, was planned for June 20 with university management. But if it did not go well industrial action would increase, including lecturers striking for two-hour periods at a time and withholding end-of-year exam results.

The threat has alarmed students, who are worried about the consequences of not receiving their exam results.

Auckland University Students' Association president Joe McCrory said withholding academic information such as results would have a much greater impact on students than strike action.

"For some students that information is required in an official capacity to graduate or for job applications and other things like that. It's pretty essential that exam results are promptly delivered to students."

Many international students would also need the information to reapply for visas next year.

"While the union has said actions will be taken to minimise the impact on students, any sort of impact on students is obviously not going to be that desirable," said Mr McCrory.

"I think the priority is for the union and the university to not get students caught in the middle of the dispute - that's why we are not endorsing protest action per se, we are looking out for the welfare of students and just trying to make sure their needs are recognised by everybody in this."

The university did not want to comment on the threat of increased industrial action, saying it "may or may not occur depending on the outcome of mediation in two and a half weeks' time".

Instead, a spokesman said 1200 non-union members had already accepted the university's offer which included a 4 per cent salary increase and extra annual leave.

"The university is continuing to negotiate with the union and hopes to get to a position where the union members can also receive these benefits."

Meanwhile, the union is writing to international unions asking them to inform members about "the university's attack on academic conditions and the two-tier pay and rewards structure at the university that discriminates against union members".

"Given that the university recruits approximately 50 per cent of academic staff from overseas, it makes sense for us to inform unions in countries from which the majority of our academic recruits are drawn about our campaign," said Ms Adams.

"There are implications for overseas academics thinking of joining the university."

DISPUTED TERMS

* Policies relating to research and study leave, the academic criteria for promotion, discipline procedures and outside professional activities are covered by the employment contract and can be changed only by mutual consent.

* The university wants to remove them from the contract and make it general policy. It is offering a 4 per cent pay rise and increased leave in return.