National Tertiary Education Union members (NTEU) who are taking industrial action at Victoria University (VU) are being stood down.
In response to NTEU giving notice of work bans scheduled to start today, VU management told staff the university would refuse to accept any work from union members who participate in the protected industrial action.
NTEU members will initiate a one-week ban on the delivery of teaching. There are also bans on staff using online systems.
Management will not provide any payments, and will not accept any work from NTEU members that participate in the notified work bans.
In practice, management is essentially locking out NTEU members who have chosen to take part in limited work bans.
NTEU Victorian Division Secretary Sarah Roberts said:
"This extreme and disproportionate reaction from VU management to legally protected industrial action speaks volumes about senior leadership's attitude to staff.
"Instead of engaging in constructive negotiations for fairer pay and workloads, VU has opted to punish staff exercising their legal right to take industrial action.
"Even worse, management is trying to organise scab labour to break our industrial action, just like Patricks did in the MUA dispute. That's just a red rag to a bull.
"NTEU members are not ruling out escalating industrial action unless we see a genuine attempt to work on a fair deal for staff."
NTEU VU branch spokesperson Matthew Klugman said:
"VU's teaching model is causing staff to work more than 50 hours a week, creating significant health and safety risks.
"Management is proposing worsening already dangerous conditions, and trying to send wages backwards in real terms.
"It's been nearly two years since the last enterprise agreement expired, and NTEU members have shown they are prepared to fight for better working conditions and a fair pay rise."
