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Wintec councillors award pay-rises, staff next hopefully

Wintec's ministerially appointed council has awarded pay rises to itself of between 17 and 131 percent, but management has only offered Wintec staff a $700 lump sum payment in the last three years. Indeed, in the last six months it has been making a small number of staff redundant on the basis that it does not have enough money.

In 2009, fourteen people sat on Wintec's council and collected $93,000 in fees. Then, in 2010, the eight councillors, appointed by either the Minister of Tertiary Education or the council itself, collected just under $109,000.

TEU national president Dr Sandra Grey says TEU members are ready to negotiate, and now that Wintec has seemingly worked out how to give pay rises staff are anticipating that they should get one too.

"Wintec TEU members have a bargaining team together ready to negotiate at any time. They know what the issues are at their workplace and they are confident that they have simple, effective solutions to those issues. Now they are just waiting for Wintec’s management to come to the table."

Dr Grey says the government's changes to polytechnic councils, including stripping out staff and student representatives, were meant to curb costs and bring professional governance experience to the polytechnic.

"Instead Wintec's council has been using public money to lose costly legal battles with its own staff and awarding itself huge pay rises. Three of the eight council members, Dr Bryce Cooper, Steve Tucker and Aaron Rick, saw their payments jump over 100 percent from $5000 or $6000 to more than $12,000." 

Also in Tertiary Update this week:

1. Strategy undermines second chance opportunities
2. Staff resilience key factor in earthquake recovery
3. Academic intellectual property rights on trade agenda
4. Other news

Strategy undermines second chance opportunities

The president of Massey University's extramural students' association, Ralph Springett, is campaigning to change the priorities of the government’s Tertiary Education Strategy, which he says are undermining second chance learners' access to education. Mr Springett says the strategy does not address the need, particularly for women, for accessible second chance education opportunities. Neither does it recognise the benefits of study while working.

The Government has stated that efficiency is required in the tertiary sector and that efficiency relates to completing a qualification, with more Māori, Pasifika, and youth enrolled and completing degrees in three to four years. One in three Māori students study by distance and many are over 25. Distance study suits these people because they are able to work, attend to family matters, and up-skill.

Mr Springett says that around 80 percent of distance students are over 25. Many study part-time, and therefore take longer to complete a degree; those who do not often undertake employment-related study.

"The problem is that the Tertiary Education Strategy fails to account for those taking a few papers to up-skill for a specific work role or those who only do a few papers a year and therefore do not complete a degree within the anticipated timeframe," Mr Springett says.

"As those who complete qualifications take longer than full-time students, they may be categorised as a non-completion statistic by the Tertiary Education Commission."

As a direct result of the government’s strategy, institutions do not see distance study as a priority. Massey’s distance student numbers will reduce by 15 percent over the next three years. The Government has stated that Massey University should choose the best mix of enrolments to fulfill its goals. However, the government can cut funding if completion rates do not improve.

"The strategy is flawed and must be changed. Completion is not an accurate measure of efficiency," Mr Springett says. "Reducing access to higher education may not lead to the efficiencies the government seeks. While the focus of the Government’s strategy is on youth, it is notable that with part-time study, older students do better than younger students."

Staff resilience key factor in earthquake recovery

As the Canterbury region continues to clean up from the February earthquake, the University of Canterbury has released an internal report on the 4 September 2010 earthquake, which notes the qualities which made staff resistance to its restructuring process are qualities which benefitted the institution when the first earthquake struck.

"The same things that make a University environment resistant to change also make it resilient in crisis. University staff have a strong sense of purpose and determination to keep doing the things that they are doing."

In fact, the university reports its surprise that it retained the goodwill of staff despite its radical restructuring last year that left many redundant.

"The organisation was part-way through a major restructure of its non-academic departments, under the banner of Project STAR (Supporting Teaching and Research). Project STAR had been running for more than a year at the time of the earthquake. Being in the midst of such significant restructuring had the potential to create some difficulties. However, in almost all instances, staff responded with a high degree of goodwill and professionalism and our staff came through when they were most needed."

TEU national president Dr Sandra Grey says university staff members have worked collectively, both through their union and in other ways, after the two earthquakes. However, it has not been easy because the events mean there can be no "business-as-usual approach".

"What is now crucial is that staff have confidence in the future of their institution and some guarantee of job security so they can stay in Christchurch, if they choose to, and get on with the role of helping the university recover," says Dr Grey.

The University of Canterbury report concludes that if the university wants its staff to be there for it in times of crisis, it also needs to be there supporting staff when they are in crisis.

Academic intellectual property rights on trade agenda

The Ministry of Trade has told TEU that academic intellectual property rights could be affected by a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement with seven other countries, including the United States.

"Academics are both creators and users of intellectual property," a ministry spokesperson told TEU. "The intellectual property produced by academics – or academic property rights – could include inventions or creations protected through, for example, patents and copyright. Any changes to New Zealand's intellectual property settings as a result of a TPP agreement could therefore impact on New Zealand academic intellectual property rights."

Intellectual property has been a contentious point of debate during the trade negotiations with USA negotiators attempting to strengthen intellectual property rights. However, Prof Susy Frankel of Victoria University in Wellington has cautioned against this:

"If New Zealand, however, is ever to develop to a knowledge economy and to increase investment in research and development then trade negotiators need to plan for that possibility, and not stifle such opportunities through agreeing on too much increased intellectual property protection in order to achieve other trade goals."

The ministry says, at this stage, the potential parties to the agreement have not discussed applying a uniform approach to the treatment of inventions or creations made by academics under contract to government-funded institutions (e.g. universities).

"Last year, New Zealand's intellectual property negotiators undertook a series of stakeholder consultations to help inform our position on intellectual property in the TPP negotiations. Officials in the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade led these consultations, and included extensive input from academic institutions, libraries and museums. Officials intend to undertake a further round of consultations with interested stakeholders to update them on progress in the negotiations to date, and to seek further views on potential impacts of a TPP agreement."

Other news

A new poll showing the public back MMP affirms that voters want to retain a real choice in how they elect their representatives, MMP campaigners say. "New Zealanders clearly want to retain a real choice in how they elect MPs. They don’t want their votes to be wasted, as they were before the public switched to MMP" - Dr Sandra Grey, Campaign for MMP spokesperson.

Regan Hopkins, the head of adventure tourism, business and sport, at Aoraki polytechnic resigned late last week after being appointed last year following a restructure in early 2010. Tertiary Education Union organiser Kris Smith said she understood Mr Hopkins was blamed for issues that arose in February within the polytechnic's flagship outdoor education programme. When students returned to start the year, they found their four tutors were on sick leave. Ms Smith said at the time that staff had cited work-related stress as their reason, and that they felt undervalued - Timaru Herald

In a pre-Budget speech, Mr Key said his Government would reduce the KiwiSaver member tax credit - the subsidy of up to $1043 a year or $20 a week for each worker - as it seeks to reduce the $1.1 billion a year it spends on the scheme. Individuals and employers would be forced to make up the difference with higher contributions - New Zealand Herald

"Well I'd hate to get into a flaming row with one of our academics but he's offering his view... He's one academic and, like lawyers, I can provide you with another one who will give you a counter view." - Prime Minister John Key dismisses academic criticism of his government's environmental record.

The Australian higher education sector will have an additional AU$7 billion from indexation increases and funding for additional students from this week's budget. It also receives a record AU$9.3 billion science and research budget has effectively stemmed outcry from the medical research fraternity, which had been protesting against a rumoured AU$400 million in cuts, which have not eventuated -The Australian

A foundation bankrolled by libertarian businessman Charles G. Koch has pledged $1.5 million for positions in Florida State University's economics department. In return, his representatives get to screen and sign-off on any employees for a new program promoting "political economy and free enterprise." -St Petersburg Times

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TEU Tertiary Update is published weekly on Thursdays and distributed freely to members of the Tertiary Education Union and others. You can subscribe to Tertiary Update by email or feed reader. Back issues are available on the TEU website. Direct inquiries should be made to Stephen Day.

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