NSW Division www.nteu.org.au/nsw Division Officers NSW Division Secretary: Michael Thomson Division Asst Secretary: Damien Cahill Division President: Nikola Balnave Division Vice-Presidents: Terri Mylett (Academic), Kate Mitchell (General)
Division Staff Industrial Coordinator: Joshua Gava Senior Industrial Officer: Jeane Wells Senior State Organiser: Kiraz Janicke Division Industrial Officers: Lance Dale (to Mar 2020), Kobie Howe, Simon Kempton, Bradley Beasley, Samantha Ramsay (from May 2020) Comms & Campaigns Organiser: N Clark (to Jan 2020), Richard Bailey (from Feb 2020) Branch Organisers: Josh Andrews, Kaylene Ayers, Richard Bailey (to Feb 2020), Sharon Bailey, Martin Cubby, Stevie Howson (from July 2020), Rhianna Keen, Amity Lynch, David Mallard, Sean Mountford (from Oct 2019), Sean O’Brien, Kevin Poynter, Lisa Roberts, Sheryl Vine (from Feb 2020), Jenny Whittard Executive Officers: Kerrie Barathy, Sharon Muddle
The NSW Division represents almost 9,000 members at 11 NSW public universities: Charles Sturt University (CSU), Macquarie University, Southern Cross University (SCU), University of New England (UNE), University of NSW (UNSW), University of Newcastle, University of Sydney, University of Wollongong, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), Western Sydney University (WSU), and two Australian Catholic University (ACU) campuses. The NSW Division has had a busy year. Like others we have had to adapt to a COVID-19 world. This has meant working from home for NTEU staff and most NTEU members. A new way of working and organising. It has meant big member meetings by teams. It has also changed the way we relate to management proposals. Overall, we have adapted well.
introduced. University managements have taken no responsibility for their system and financial planning. They have attempted to shift the blame to university staff. At SCU we beat a non-union variation. Thanks to the work of SCU activists and NTEU staff. All Branches have had growth in membership and across the Division we now sit around 9,000 members – up 1,000 in twelve months. The NSW police are using the pandemic to ban public protest and demonstrations. We called a protest and applied for permission. We submitted a COVID-19 safe plan as part of our application. The police refused our request and took us to the Supreme Court to ban the rally. In a big win the court approved the rally and the protest went ahead. It was important in that it set a precedent and will allow other rallies to go ahead. Branches have begun preparing for the next round of bargaining. Campaign plans are being drawn up. ◆
The Division has been fighting for jobs at all Branches. The business model that university management relies on – fees from overseas students – has taken a big hit. It shows the fragility of a higher education system based on student fees. One that all university management welcomed and allowed to be
Image (this page): Michael Thomson, Damien Cahill, Kurt Iveson (USYD), Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Mark Morey (Unions NSW Secretary) protesting against jobs cuts and also for the right to protest, October 2020 (Richard Bailey).
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NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ NSW Division
