University of Canberra staff have secured a new pay and bonus scheme potentially worth millions of dollars for employees.
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The new agreement also aims to double the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians employed at the university.
Staff passed the new agreement 706 votes to 73 on Thursday, securing a pay rise of 3.9 per cent in 2013 and a further three per cent increase in January.
Despite the increases, National Tertiary Education Union ACT secretary Stephen Darwin said there had been several losses.
“We are disappointed with parts of the agreement,” he said.
“On balance, we recommended members vote for it because the university was not willing to negotiate further.”
The agreement also pledged to double the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians employed at the university and provide leave for to staff who are victims of domestic violence.
Mr Darwin said the initiatives were proposed by union and it was a win to have them included.
“We’re very proud of them in the agreement, because we fought for them,” he said.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and lead negotiator Nick Klomp described the deal as good news for the entire faculty.
“There is always more than management wants and probably always more than staff want,” he said.
“I think on balance, this is good.”
Professor Klomp said the agreement, which follows year of negotiations with staff and unions, also secured the university’s position in the top quarter of university pay grades.
“This pay deal is better than many pay deals now being settled,” he said.
“We think this will increase our position.”
The agreement also aligns pay rises with indexed increases in the funding from the Commonwealth, resulting in an estimated 2.4 per cent increase for 2015.
In addition to the increases, university management will implement a scheme bestowing annual bonuses of $1000 to $2500 to all staff members, except senior managers.