Union members have condemned the University of Newcastle (UoN) for requesting the Fair Work Commission to intervene on enterprise bargaining.

The local branch of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is pushing for a pay rise, workload regulation and flexible work provisions.

It follows the university announcing its plan to save $21.5 million this year, which is alleged to included significant job and course cuts.

Enterprise bargaining began between the institution and the NTEU six months ago, with a half day strike scheduled on Thursday 23 October between 1pm and 4.30pm.

The UoN’s chief people and culture officer Martin Sainsbury said while they respected the right of staff to take protected industrial action, they did not believe it would help them reach an agreement.

“To sup

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