The industry association representing Australian universities has dismissed as "rubbish" a union claim that the tertiary education sector will try to use new industrial relations laws to undercut staff conditions.
The Newcastle Herald reported this week that the National Tertiary Education Union was concerned University of Newcastle management would exploit new rules which empower the Fair Work Commission to make determinations in "intractable" enterprise bargaining disputes.
The new laws come into effect on Tuesday as a long-running bargaining dispute between academic staff and university management comes to a head in the commission.
The Australian Higher Education Industrial Association, which has published a game plan for universities on how to seek arbitration under the new rules, said on Friday that the NTEU was "working against the best interests of academic staff at the University of Newcastle".
"It has confected fears that universities routinely would use the law to resolve industrial disputes and aimed to drive down wages and conditions through a concerted campaign," the association said in a statement to the Herald.
"These claims are rubbish. The NTEU's actions are delaying pay rises for university staff.
"To be clear, there is no concerted campaign by the AHEIA or its member universities to drive down wages and conditions through the use of the law. This is totally untrue."
The Community and Public Sector Union, whose University of Newcastle members voted in favour of the latest offer from management, has also attacked the NTEU for delaying an agreement.
The AHEIA said there was "nothing new or controversial" about the university or other parties accessing conciliation provisions and advice from the commission.
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