Brett Alcock says his previous job at a privately owned tertiary institution was a string of short-term contracts.

“Many teachers, including myself when I was there, have their contracts rolled over. But the fact that they are not on permanent contracts creates a pervasive sense of insecurity as the contract renewal is often, as was my case after 10 years, used to ‘bump’ people out of jobs with minimal notice. When this happened to me I was immediately excluded from my computer files and from the campus.”

Mr Alcock now has a permanent job at Massey University but many of his colleagues there are on short-term contracts.

In response to last week’s story on the rise of short-term contract work in Australia a range of tertiary education workers contacted Tertiary Update about the situation in New Zealand, most of whom who wanted to remain anonymous. One former senior tutor had a full-time contract come to an end and then spent the next 18 months working part-time as a casual tutor. She was being contracted paper by paper, teaching the same number of papers at the same university she had previously worked for, but for about a third of the pay and, with no guarantee of on-going employment.

Another told us, in her team of six tutors and senior tutors, there is only a permanent contract for one paper for two teaching semesters; the equivalent of 0.3 FTEs. Currently she is still waiting on two temporary contracts for this semester and will be teaching across three different departments with no hours allocated to become familiar with the course material. Over the last summer, she marked assignments for a paper in yet another department.

TEU national president Sandra Grey says there is increasing evidence that tertiary institutions are excessive in their use of casual labour.

“It’s not only bad for employees, it’s bad for a stable learning environment where staff can plan and develop their courses, keep up-to-date with research, and invest time in the pastoral care of students. There are consequences to the quality of education when employers opt for cheap labour over secure, on-going jobs.”

Also in Tertiary Update this week:

1. Joyce wants new governance for institutions
2. Global student numbers to double by 2025
3. Christchurch mergers
4. PPTA warns about TPPA
5. Kiwis warn Australia of tertiary education managerialism

Other news

Tertiary education is not just about science and economic development says TEU national secretary Sharn Riggs. Ms Riggs’ comments follow news that Steven Joyce, the minister of science, tertiary education and economic development agencies is considering restructuring all three agencies at the same time - TEU media release

Even our cash-strapped universities appear happy to play the game. At the University of Auckland, Vice-Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon was paid $640,000 last year – up 75% on the $360,000 John Hood was reported to have received 10 years earlier. Meanwhile, Auckland’s teaching staff – who are also vital to the competitiveness and quality of any university – received an average pay increase of 47% over the same period - The Listener

The number of academic staff at public tertiary education institutions continued to decrease from 2009 to 2010, reflecting restructuring in some institutions. The non-academic staff also continued to increase, a pattern that started in 2007 - Ministry of Education

Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) and Whitireia NZ  announced the formation of a single, combined academic board and the appointment of Dr Peter Coolbear as the inaugural chair - Whitireia NZ

Five schools for international and local students are in trouble with authorities for a range of alleged offences, including immigration breaches, student cheating and reporting dubious qualifications - New Zealand Herald

Overseas non-governmental organisations have been raising the alarm over worker exploitation in factories in China that produce the Apple iPad and other consumer electronic products. A new report by a Hong Kong-based labour organisation has found that many of the exploited are students working as interns as a compulsory part of vocational courses -University World News

Mr Joyce made that statement in a reply to a written question from the Labour Party’s tertiary education spokesperson, Grant Robertson who asked whether he intended to implement the National Party policy to: ‘improve the governance and operations of publicly-owned tertiary institutions’.

TEU national president Dr Sandra Grey says that it is important that governing bodies are democratic, and that local communities including staff and students have a say in the governance of their institutions.

“On average democratic, local, independent governing bodies make better decisions, are more inclusive and more economic than the alternative of ‘appointed boards’.  We hope Mr Joyce recognises this in his deliberations.”

Mr Joyce also wrote to Mr Robertson in reply to another question about publishing employment data for graduates, confirming he is intending to implement that policy too.

“Officials are currently investigating indicators of graduates’ employment outcomes that can be derived from existing data sets. Tertiary education providers will be consulted before these indicators are published.”

Mr Joyce also confirmed an intention to implement the National Party policy to “remove differences in funding treatment between public and private providers“.

“I will continue the approach the Government has adopted so far, which is to remove specific differences in funding policy between private and public providers when the opportunity arises,” said Mr Joyce.

Top Asian universities are targeting international students in New Zealand and South Korea’s “top eight” universities will be in Auckland this Saturday for a recruitment fair, reports the New Zealand Herald.

Fair organiser Audrey Chung said some universities were offering scholarships for top students.

“Asia is where the economic growth is and where jobs of the future will be, and we want to encourage students here to consider what universities in Asia can offer them for their academic and professional future.” University of Auckland professor of Asian studies Manying Ip told the Herald that the recruitment drive was part of a global exercise to attract top talent to Asia.

Meanwhile University World News reports the number of students around the globe enrolled in tertiary education may more than double to 262 million by 2025. Nearly all of this growth will be in the developing world, with more than half in China and India alone. The number of students seeking study abroad could rise to eight million – nearly three times more than today.

Higher education consultant Bob Goddard tellsUniversity World News that the worldwide increase is being fuelled by greater numbers of young people entering the peak education ages along with sharply rising participation rates, especially in the non-compulsory education years.

But the developing countries experiencing a huge demand for further and higher education will be unable to provide enough places, Mr Goddard says.

Mr Goddard says while English-speaking countries have been long accustomed to dominating the market in selling international education to students, that situation is undergoing rapid change.

Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Middle East are developing their own capacities to offer education to outsiders. Singapore hopes to attract 150,000 foreign students by 2015, Malaysia 100,000 by 2020 and Jordan 100,000 by the same year.

China, despite facing huge demand for higher education from its own young people, is planning to expand its enrolments of foreigners from 200,000 at present to 300,000 by 2020.

Then there are developed countries such as Japan that have shown little interest in the past in marketing education overseas. With an ageing population and an increasingly under-utilised higher education sector, Mr Goddard says there is a growing realisation among the Japanese that this could provide opportunities for “substantial levels of international recruitment”.

Mr Joyce told RNZ the earthquakes mean Canterbury University, Lincoln University and the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology have to take a close look at their strategic planning.

Mr Joyce says all options are on the table, including possible mergers.

He says the polytechnic will be vital in providing trade skills needed for rebuilding the city, but there could be room for the two universities to work more closely together.

“I would stress that we’re not looking at mergers for mergers’ sake,” said Mr Joyce.

The TPPA is an international investor dispute agreement currently under negotiation between New Zealand and eight other countries including the USA. If passed it would allow private companies, such as for-profit universities, to sue governments to protect their right to access international markets.

PPTA cites two recent international trade law cases where private companies have attempted to sue governments to allow them access to public services

“In 2000, United Parcel Services – a US company – claimed that Canada Post’s parcel delivery service was unfairly subsidised because it was part of the larger public postal service. USP sought US$160 million in damages. Although the claimant was unsuccessful, several years of arbitration were at a significant cost to the Canadian government.

“Similarly in 2008, Centurion Health – a company owned by a US national – initiated a claim against Canada under NAFTA challenging the Canada Health Act. Centurion Health’s plans to open a private health care facility in Vancouver fell through. The claimant argued that its plans to open a private health care facility in Vancouver were blocked by measures at federal, provincial and municipal levels.”

PPTA says widespread private provision of public education that occurs in New Zealand could be opening up the education sector for these types of claims if it ratifies the TPPA in its current form.

The paperpaper, When the Government Steers the Market: Implications for New Zealand’s Tertiary Education System, argues that the government’s current heavy handed steering is harming the sector.

Dr Grey and Ms Scott argue that the government has bitten off more than it can chew in its determination to micro-manage the sector. As the OECD notes, tertiary education systems inherently are complex and resilient, which makes steering a daunting task.

Secondly, says Dr Grey, government steering impacts on the autonomy so crucial to a flourishing tertiary education sector.

“What we have seen is the creation of processes to determine strategic direction at the expense of ensuring that the sector has the freedom to teach and research unhampered by whatever political ideology has currency.”

Ms Scott says the model which now characterises the tertiary sector is a low-trust model, in which tertiary education staff are no longer viewed as professionals but as vested interests, who must be monitored and controlled.

“The lack of trust and autonomy is detrimental to the long term future of tertiary education and the commitment of staff to the sector. In fact in most of the government documentation, staff appear to be absent. Government documents talk of is made of ‘stakeholders’ (usually students and business), of tertiary institutions, and of consultation with peak bodies and industry, but rarely with staff,” said Ms Scott.

Ms Riggs’ comments follow news that Steven Joyce, the minister of science, tertiary education and economic development agencies is considering restructuring all three agencies at the same time.

“Tertiary education is closely related to science as an economic development, but it is also closely related to health – people with tertiary education have better health outcomes on average. Access to tertiary education helps reduce crime. So, why not consider a merger between tertiary education, the department of health and police instead? Tertiary education links closely to agriculture, archives, the arts council, and the list goes on.”

“There are many important economic and scientific benefits from a broad, accessible, high quality tertiary education system. But those are not the only benefits. The minister needs to make sure that his focus on economic development and science does  not crowd out space for all the other important social and community benefits that high quality public tertiary education should provide,” said Ms Riggs.

For more information:

Sharn Riggs, TEU national secretary, 027 443 8768 or 04 801 5098
Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792
http://www.teu.ac.nz

Dr Robinson, who is a highly regarded, and sometimes satirical, speaker from Canada, is the senior higher education consultant to Education International, the global union for teachers.
He will be giving three public lectures at:

Auckland, 27 February at the University of Auckland

• Lecture Theatre 018, Level 0, the Clocktower, 22 Princes Street
• 5.30pm – 7pm
• What are the international directions in tertiary education policy? What do they mean for vocational training and higher education?

Christchurch, 28 February at the University of Canterbury

• LAWS 108 Lecture Theatre
• 6pm – 7pm, with drinks beforehand
• Lessons from Hurricane Katrina and other disasters – what happens when natural disasters are being used to radically reshape the tertiary education provision in a city.

Wellington, 1 March at Victoria University

• GBLT1, Government House Law School
• 6pm – 7pm, with drinks beforehand
• The paradox – in New Zealand successive governments say tertiary education is one of the most important things in which to invest. Yet the system itself and people who work in it are under more pressure than ever before.

The Tertiary Education Union Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa is organising Mr Robinson’s visit.

For more information:

Sandra Grey, TEU national president, 021 844 176 or 04 801 5098
Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792
http://www.teu.ac.nz

TEU Travel Policy

This policy applies to all members of the Tertiary Education Union and may be changed from time to time. This policy is current from March 2011.

1)         Introduction

TEU travel policy is based on the following principles:

• Travel to and from meetings, Conference etc. of the union is part of the democratic processes of the TEU
• It is recognised that members give of their own time and commitment when travelling for TEU
• All travel, accommodation and meals are paid for by members’ subscriptions and therefore these costs need to be approached responsibly
• TEU has a commitment to using the most economical travel and accommodation arrangements as possible balanced with an understanding of members’ needs and a level of convenience to individual members.

2)         Air Travel

Standard travel bookings at the lowest economy class will be made to arrive on the day of the meeting in time for the start of the meeting and will depart after the finish of the meeting.

Fully flexible fares which are charged at a premium price will not normally be used and need prior approval from the National Secretary.

Where hardship or difficulties would be caused by unsuitable departure and/or arrival times e.g. hazardous early morning travel in winter; availability of childcare; alternative arrangements will be considered. These arrangements, which may include overnight stay before the meeting, need the prior approval of the National Secretary.

Where members wish to travel prior to a meeting or stay after a meeting for personal reasons, TEU will accommodate these requests as far as possible on the basis of the lowest economy fare. Members will be responsible for all additional costs associated with such stays, including travel to and from private accommodation to the meeting.

Travel for scheduled TEU national meetings set at the beginning of the year e.g. Council, Sector Groups, Te Toi Ahurangi, National Women’s Committee and Conference will be booked at least four weeks before the meeting. Standard bookings will be made unless members advise the administrator to the contrary. This is to ensure that the lowest possible economy fares can be purchased.

The administrator will send a reminder email to all those travelling at least five weeks prior to the meeting.

Flights other than for scheduled meetings and Conference must be approved by the National Secretary before any bookings are made.

Where Branches are sending observers to meetings, Conference etc National Office will book travel for these observers on request and charge the relevant branch.

If for exceptional reasons members make their own booking, the same principles of lowest economy fares purchased at least four weeks prior to the meeting must apply. Fully flexible bookings require the approval of the National Secretary. A copy of the receipt/itinerary must be sent to the administrator at National Office as soon as possible.

3)         Changes to bookings

Changes to bookings incur significant additional costs including a fee for the change (usually $50.00 minimum) as well as the cost of an upgraded fare in many cases.

As a rule, all changes made after the booking has been made will be a personal cost payable by the member.

Members will be required to provide a credit card number prior to any changes being made.

In an emergency or exceptional circumstance, members must seek approval for changes from the National Secretary who may approve the costs to be paid by TEU.

Where changes are necessitated by TEU (e.g. a changed meeting time or a cancellation) or imposed by circumstances beyond the individual traveller’s control (e.g., weather) TEU will meet any additional costs involved.

4)         Travel by train, car etc.

Where travel by air is not applicable, the same principles of lowest economy fares should apply.

Travel from Hamilton to Auckland, Palmerston North to Wellington and return will not normally be by air.

Travel may include train or private vehicle. Where a private vehicle is to be used, prior approval must be sought. Where two or more people are travelling by private vehicle to the same meeting, they should travel in the one vehicle.

All mileage must be recorded and claimed on the appropriate form. Reimbursement will be at the rate of 62 cents per kilometre.

5)         Taxis, Shuttles to and from home/airport

The use of shuttles and/or shuttle bus is the preferred means of travel to and from airports. This will keep costs to a minimum.

In most instances, the administrator will organise shuttles and/or taxis between the airport and the meeting. Travel should be shared wherever possible and may include waiting a short while for members on another flight. When a shuttle/taxi has been booked, particularly for a group, unless there is an emergency, members may not order separate taxis. Members will arrange taxis and/or shuttles between their home and their home airport.

Where shuttles/taxis are not pre-booked, taxi vouchers will be provided. Please note that you should use the recommended providers to avoid extra charges.

In some cases, it may be more convenient as well as economical to use a private vehicle to get to and from the airport. In this case, TEU will pay airport parking charges. The administrator should be advised before any shuttle bookings are made. GST receipts should be submitted on the appropriate form.

6)         Alternative travel

Members travelling on TEU business who wish to use an alternative method of travel for personal reasons will be asked to make their own arrangements. Costs will be expected to be no more than the equivalent net cost of return economy air travel.  If necessary an advance will be made for such travel. If the planned travel does not take place, then any advance will be required to be repaid to TEU.

7)         Accommodation

TEU National Office regularly seeks deals and specials for accommodation some of which include continental breakfast, to keep the budget to a minimum.

TEU National Office will therefore book accommodation for members coming to national meetings when an overnight stay is required, based on the deals and specials that are available.

Any special requests for accommodation should be made three weeks before the meeting and will be considered by the National Secretary. However, approval may depend on costs.

If members do not require accommodation they should notify the administrator when requesting travel. If for any reason, booked accommodation is no longer required, members should notify the administrator at least 24 hours before in order to avoid being charged for such accommodation.

TEU will pay for the room and continental breakfast. Where an evening meal is not otherwise provided, members are entitled to a reimbursement of up to $40.00 on production of GST receipts.

Morning, afternoon tea and lunches are almost always provided at meetings.

Members are responsible for all minibar, alcohol, phone, internet and other miscellaneous charges. One personal phone call may be made while away overnight on TEU business. All charges must be paid for when checking out of the accommodation. Any variation to this needs prior approval of the National Secretary.

Where Branches are sending observers to meetings, Conference etc National Office will book accommodation for observers also and charge the relevant branch.

8)         Staying Privately

Where accommodation is required for a meeting, members may choose to stay privately. In this case, a staying privately reimbursement of $50.00 may be claimed. This also covers travel to and from private accommodation.

Where an evening meal is not otherwise provided, members are entitled to a reimbursement of up to $40.00 on production of GST receipts.

9)         Travel Insurance

TEU has a travel insurance policy covering persons travelling on TEU business within New Zealand, which requires a detailed schedule to be forwarded to the insurance company on a regular basis.  This schedule is completed by National Office for bookings made by National Office.

Travel insurance covers only the period of the meeting and cannot be extended to additional stays for personal reasons.

In a case where members make their own arrangements, the administrator must be notified to add details to the schedule and ensure that travel cover will apply.

10)      Claims

Any delegate who incurs reasonable expenses while on TEU business can expect TEU to meet those expenses.

Claims can include any additional child care expenses necessitated by travel to meetings.

Claims must be made on the appropriate TEU Expense Claim Form and submitted to the Finance Officer as soon as possible after the meeting. Visa and other receipts with GST numbers must be provided before any reimbursements will be made.

11)      Traveller Profile

When members first make a travel request, they will be asked to complete a traveller profile with contact details, seating preferences etc. It is members’ responsibility to provide updates as needed.

12)      Special Note

Any special requests outside of the above provisions may be considered. However, members must seek prior approval from the National Secretary. (The administrator is unable to approve such requests).

The administrator is currently Sue Wang sue.wang@teu.ac.nz

The finance officer is currently Trina Coombes

Policy authorised by Council 04 March 2011

Sharn Riggs

NATIONAL SECRETARY

An Australian inquiry into casual employment has just heard from a Brisbane academic who has not had paid annual leave since 1995.

University academic Marianne Treuen told the inquest she was forced to work at several universities around southeast Queensland just to make ends meet and during holiday periods she had no income at all.

“My husband supports me. Isn’t that a terrible thing to say?” she said. “But that’s what it comes down to.”

The nationwide public hearings at which Ms Treuen appeared are part of an inquiry into insecure work, chaired by former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe, which is investigating the growth of insecure jobs, and how it affects people’s lives and communities right across the country. Mr Howe said 40 percent of Australian workers were working in insecure jobs and it was important they were able to tell their story, as part of the means to identify possible solutions.

Jeannie Rea, president of the Australian Tertiary Education Union NTEU says the tertiary education sector is characterised by one of the highest levels of precarious employment in Australia.

Less than 36 percent of all university employees have continuing employment and the figure for “all employees” already excludes those employed on an ad hoc or occasional basis.

“Taking one small part of the problem as an example, there are probably eight to ten thousand casual teaching employees with PhDs earning $10,000 to $25,000 a year in precarious teaching-only employment. This is a waste of human talent and of the public resources which have gone into their education,” said Ms Rea.

NTEU is recommending to the inquiry, among other things, that the Australian federal government should create a public policy regime that encourages tertiary education institutions to meet minimum standards of decent employment and educational quality. It also wants the government to limit Non-Standard Employment through the use of clear and enforceable definitions and limits on the use on all forms of precarious employment.

In New Zealand TEU national president Dr Sandra Grey says there is anecdotal evidence that casual labour is also endemic in our tertiary institutions.

“We strongly suspect the problem is widespread here too. TEU is looking to undertake a significant research project to expose what is happening and what casual workers need to guarantee them fair employment conditions.”

If you have a story to tell about casual or insecure tertiary education work, here in New Zealand, let us know.

Also in Tertiary Update this week:

1. SSC to stamp out 2+ percent pay-rises
2. English called for less bureaucracy. Then along came Joyce.
3. Challenge for unions to defend academia
4. More polytechnic students
5. $8000 for each star?
6. Competition winners

Other news

Scotland has a unique advantage for a small nation of five million in having at least five world-class universities – more in the top 200 even than France – and one of the best educated workforces in the world. Scotland’s universities have never been regarded as mere education factories – they have a distinct egalitarian, or equalitarian tradition, summed up in that much-misunderstood phrase, the “democratic intellect” – the Herald Scotland

“The National government will continue to invest heavily in tertiary students as the world enters into a skills race.” – Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce to students last week.

Photos of TEU members at the NorthTec stop-work meeting and at a rally at the New Lynn train station supporting workers caught in the Port of Auckland dispute.

A 4 percent increase in the latest round of offers at Australian universities will place overstretched teaching staff under more strain and lower the quality of education for ballooning student ranks, NTEU has warned. Under the government’s new “demand-driven system”, universities will receive funding for as many students as they can enrol. Previously, the government regulated the number of places – the Conversation

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Authorised by Sharn Riggs, Tertiary Education Union, 8th Floor, Education House 178-182 Willis St, Wellington 6011.

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.