University of Auckland students face a delay in getting their final grades for the year, with the Tertiary Education Union today announcing a week-long ban on releasing final grades, to support its pay claim.
The Tertiary Education Union today announced a week-long ban on releasing final grades, to support its pay claim. (Source: 1News)
Explaining the ban, TEU organiser Adam Craigie said, "What that means is that students may not be able to see their final grades, or that their exam marks would be released."
Craigie said the ban will end this Friday, and he hoped that before the final date of submitting grades the following week, the University will come back to the table with an improved offer.
The Union staged a lunchtime rally outside the University clock tower, where wage negotiations were taking place.
Craigie said the union claim is for a 7.2% increase, in line with inflation. He says the current University offer is for 4%, or 5% if some collective conditions are removed for future union members, such as long service leave.
"And we're just not prepared to do that, to disadvantage all the future TEU members," said Craigie.
The union had been negotiating with the University since July.
American History lecturer Jennifer Frost said the University's approach to bargaining flew in the face of its newly adopted strategy, called Taumata Teitei.
"It includes things like community, valuing people, building a positive culture," Frost said.
"Our Vice Chancellor is not modelling those values in her treatment of us in the union, and the marker of good leadership is modelling the values of the institution.
"So it's a complete hypocrisy," she added.
The New Zealand University Students Association said it was concerned about the withholding of grades, but said the TEU was running out of options in its wage negotiations.
"The fact that the University isn't playing ball with quite reasonable requests is forcing the union's hand," said NZUSA National President Andrew Lessells.
The University of Auckland told 1News it was disappointed at the action to delay the release of student marks, but said many staff were working to minimise disruption to students.
In a statement, it added that it was acutely aware of financial pressures affecting many people and it was "committed to a fair and reasonable salary increase".
It said its offer ranged from nine to eleven per cent over two years, which it described as a "competitive" offer. It said this was "significantly higher than any other university in Aotearoa New Zealand or Australia currently".
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