MEDIA RELEASE PR37186
Curtin University Staff Vote to Withhold Student Results
SYDNEY, Nov.19 /Medianet International-AsiaNet/ --
Staff at Western Australia's Curtin University have voted to step up industrial action for better pay and
conditions putting at risk the release of year-end results to students including those from Asia.
Thousands of students from Singapore, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and other Asian countries are
undertaking degrees at Curtin University, whose staff have been engaged in the campaign since August 2008.
President of the National Tertiary Education Union at Curtin, Dr. Jan Sinclair-Jones, said taking industrial
was a last resort, and was the result of a failure by Curtin management to reach satisfactory settlement on the
Union's legitimate claims.
"Staff at Curtin are deeply committed to improving the quality of education for all students studying Curtin
degrees, whether in Singapore, Malaysia, China or Australia," Dr Sinclair-Jones said.
"One of the key claims we've made to the university is for fairer workloads, so that academics can spend
more time helping students and carrying out research.
"The union has spent more than a year attempting to negotiate but Curtin management continues to stall.
We have been left with no choice except to take further industrial action.
"We are very sorry that some students may be adversely affected, but the university's unwillingness to make
a commitment to its staff, and to the quality of education at Curtin, has brought us to this point."
To date the Union's campaign has included a one-day strike in mid-September and bans on the use of
emails.
Students affected by the ban who are facing particular hardships can apply to the Union for an exemption.
For further information, contact
Dr. Sinclair-Jones on
+61 8 9266 7145 or visit:
SOURCE: National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NSW)