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Academics slam union reforms
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University staff and lecturers were part of a 2000-strong union throng condemning the Howard government's planned industrial reforms, in which unions will have a diminished role in negotiating workers' contracts. University and TAFE workers' anger mirrored that of tertiary students protesting at HECS increases and voluntary unionism earlier this year. They converged on the QV1 building as part of a national rally against higher education workplace relations requirements. Placards and flags read: "John Howard: industrial terrorist", "Public education is our future", "Collective bargaining", "Secure employment" and "Reasonable hours". Alan Robson, vice-chancellor of the University of WA, was not at the rally but told the POST: "I don't support the reforms. It's an unnecessary intrusion by the government on university autonomy." He said he would wait until he had more information before deciding the university's position and would consider other ways of gaining the extra 5% funding, offered through the Commonwealth grant scheme, without disrupting the university's autonomy. Prof. Robson said he had been a staunch unionist until he took the position of vice-chancellor. He realised there would be a conflict of interest. Mick Campion, WA president of the National Tertiary Education Union, said he was pleased at Profesor Robson's support but said: "It's an awful shame in itself that a person can be put in a position where staff interests could impede their role as head of a university." Assoc. Prof. Campion called the reforms "MacDonaldisation of academic positions", by enforcing casual positions and removing collective representation between workers and employers. Universities were highly productive, being the sixth highest export earner, but the reforms would cause turmoil in higher education institutions. He said it was up to vice-chancellors and chancellors to put the pressure on the government. "The political cost could be more significant than the financial loss for those that can afford to lose the grant scheme, of which UWA would be one," he said. "There some universities, such as Edith Cowan, Murdoch and Curtin, where it would put them in jeopardy, but that is no reason for vice-chancellors and chancellors not to resist it. Universities should be more independent of government. "What we've got to hope for, if the coalition government does not change its mind on its planned reforms, is a change of government based on a significant movement towards sustaining higher education at the next election."
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