Strike participants were warned off with a two-week, no-pay suspension notice
The planned strike action of union members employed under the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) has been scaled back after a warning from management that participants would be suspended without pay. Initially, members of the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) said they would not be entering or releasing student marks or course marks into the AUT student management system from Oct. 6 to Oct. 21. But this plan changed after the AUT communicated to all staff that the strike participants would be issued suspension notices throughout the strike duration.
"AUT confirmed that they intended to not pay our members for two weeks," the union said in a statement.
Following the warning, TEU changed its strike notice in AUT to a four-hour stoppage from 1pm to 5pm on Oct. 6, with the 12pm rally pushing through as planned.
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Beth Bundy, spokesperson from the AUT, welcomed the changes to the strike action, Radio New Zealand reported, adding that union members will "no longer unfairly punish students" by threatening to withhold their grades.
The strike is part of a bigger, nationwide action carried out by TEU members across eight universities, including University of Auckland, University of Waikato, Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington, Canterbury University, Lincoln University, and University of Otago, where union members announced full stoppage of work for several hours on Oct. 6.
The strike action comes as unions demand an 8% pay increase to match the rising cost of living, stressing that members are "frustrated, angry, and worried" about their sector's future as more colleagues leave tertiary education to move overseas.
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The University of Auckland, commenting on the strike action, said that it was disappointed that union members voted in favour of it.
"As your employer, the University has made a best offer of a five per cent and four per cent general revision offer over two years, subject to certain conditions," the university said in a statement. "In communicating this offer to the unions, we explained our view that the offer is fair and reasonable and rewards staff to the maximum extent that it can, while retaining fiscal responsibility."
The institution also said it will not be paying strike participants, pointing out that there is "no legal entitlement to be paid while on strike."
"The university acknowledges the right to strike is lawful and staff who participate in lawful strike action are entitled to do so,” it said. “However, the University's principle is to continue business as usual and staff will not be paid while they are on strike."
