Open Polytechnic teachers vote for industrial action

23 October 2012

Open Polytechnic teachers vote for industrial action

Lecturers at the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand have voted to take industrial action, after their employer tried to cut their research and development time in half.

TEU organiser Phil Dyhrberg says union members are not telling the polytechnic what type of industrial action they will take yet, but it could include things like withholding student marks, working to rule, and lightning strikes.

The polytechnic wants to cut academic staff research and development time from 30 days to 15. This time is not leave but time that academics spend engaged in research and professional development. Research is also a requirement to teaching a degree programme - the Open Polytechnic offers an extensive degree programme.

One lecturer, TEU branch co-president at the Open Polytechnic, Mary-Liz Broadley, says it is critical that academic lecturers have this time so that they remain active researchers in their field and their teaching is up to date. It is crucial to the quality of education students receive.

“We want to be current experts in our field. The polytechnic’s claim to cut research time makes that harder, and over time it undermines the quality of education students get.”

Last year the polytechnic taught over 40,000 students from all around New Zealand, making it one of the most extensive tertiary education providers. Most of the polytechnic’s 120 full time academic staff are union members. They teach over 100 qualifications and 1,200 courses.

ENDS

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