frontline
National Women’s Journal
NTEU
As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Yes it is bread we fight for but we fight for roses too.
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
As we come marching, marching we bring the greater days
For the people hear us singing:‘Bread and roses! Bread and roses!’
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
As we come marching, marching we battle too for men,
No more the drudge and idler - ten that toil where one reposes,
For they are women’s children, and we mother them again.
But a sharing of life’s glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses!
Our lives shall not be sweetened from birth until life closes;
As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread.
For the people hear us singing:‘Bread and roses! Bread and roses!’
Women & the Global Financial Crisis
Indigenous academics Too petite for research?
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Equity at UCan
Paid Parental Leave ●
Feminist’s scorecard for Obama
Volume 17 September 2009 ISSN 1322–2945
Women’s Action Committee (WAC)
A ACADEMIC STAFF MEMBER G GENERAL STAFF MEMBER PHONE FAX EMAIL b
NT WAC Delegates A Tina Jones b (08) 8946 6521 tina.jones@cdu.edu.au
QLD WAC Delegates A Donna Weeks b (07) 5459 4603 dweeks@usc.edu.au
G Lisa-Marie Stones
G Carolyn Cope
NTEU NT Division PO Box U371, Charles Darwin University, DARWIN, NT 0815 b (08) 8946 7231 (08) 8927 9410 nt@nteu.org.au
NTEU QLD Division 1st Floor, 27 Cordelia Street, SOUTH BRISBANE, QLD 4101 b (07) 3846 2355 (07) 3846 5977 qld@nteu.org.au
b (08)
8946 6252 lisa-marie.stones@cdu.edu.au
WA WAC Delegates A Kathryn Sauer b (08) 9266 7123 ksauer@health.curtin.edu.au
b (07)
3138 3235 c.cope@qut.edu.au
G Kathryn Clarke b (08)
6304 2109 kathryn.clarke@ecu.edu.au
SA WAC Delegates A Sue Knight b (08) 8302 4550 sue.knight@unisa.edu.au
NTEU WA Division 97 Broadway, Nedlands WA 6009 b (08) 6365 4188 (08) 9354 1629 wa@nteu.org.au
Indigenous Representative Alma Mir b (08) 8939 7333 alma.mir@batchelor.edu.au
National President Carolyn Allport b (03) 9254 1910 callport@nteu.org.au
G Jess Cronin b (08)
8340 8669 jessica.cronin@adelaide.edu.au
b (02)
6051 9936 jbattersby@csu.edu.au
NTEU NSW Division Level 1, 55 Holt St, SURRY HILLS, NSW 2010 b (02) 9212 5433 (02) 9212 4090 nteunsw@nsw.nteu.org.au
ACT WAC Delegates A Pamela Roberts b (02) 6125 0060 pam.roberts@anu.edu.au
G Stacey Durrell b (02)
VIC WAC Delegates A Virginia Mansel Lees b (02) 6024 9807 v.mansellees@latrobe.edu.au
G Anne Prince b (03)
9905 1108 anne.prince@education.monash.edu.au
NTEU VIC Division Level 1, 120 Clarendon St, SOUTHBANK, VIC 3006 b (03) 9254 1930 (03) 9254 1935 office@vic.nteu.org.au
TAS WAC Delegates A Paula Johnson b (03) 6226 2551 Paula.Johnson@utas.edu.au
1st Floor, 120 Clarendon St, SOUTHBANK, VIC 3006 PO Box 1323, SOUTH MELBOURNE, VIC, 3205
(03) 9254 1910
G Jane Battersby
NTEU SA Division Box 100, Palais Apts, 281 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000 b (08) 8227 2384 (08) 8227 0997 sa@nteu.org.au
National Office
b
NSW WAC Delegates A vacant
G Linda Seaborn b (03)
6229 1918 Linda.Seaborn@utas.edu.au
6201 5094 stacey.durrell@canberra.edu.au NTEU ACT Division G Block, Old Administration Area, Acton ACT 0200 b (02) 6125 2043 (02) 6125 8137 act@nteu.org.au
NTEU TAS Division Private Bag 101, University of Tasmania, HOBART, TAS 7001 b (03) 6226 7575 (03) 6226 2172 rbinnie@tas.nteu.org.au
(03) 9254 1915
national@nteu.org.au www.nteu.org.au National Executive National President................................Carolyn Allport Vice-President (Academic)................Gregory McCarthy Vice-President (General)...............................Jo Hibbert General Secretary........................ Grahame McCulloch National Assistant Secretary........................Ted Murphy Executive Members......................Rachael Bahl ACT Div, Susan Bandias NT Div, Lyn Bloom WA Div, Andrew Bonnell UQ, Margaret Botterill La Trobe, Derek Corrigan ANU, James Doughney VU, Gabrielle Gooding UWA, Ian Hunt Flinders, Genevieve Kelly NSW Div, Margaret Lee Qld Div, Matthew McGowan Vic Div, Terry Mason UWS, Kelvin Michael Tas Div, Len Palmer CSU, Kate Patrick RMIT, Michael Thomson Sydney
Officers & Central Resources Unit National Indigenous Officer....................Adam Frogley IT Manager.............................................Michael Riley ICT System Administrator/Help Desk........... Tam Vuong Executive Officer–President..................Andrea Sauvarin Executive Officer–General Secretary.. Anastasia Kotaidis Administrative Officer–Resources............. Tracey Coster Administrative Officer–Reception................ Tim Rodrigo Industrial Unit Acting Coordinator.................................Eleanor Floyd Senior Industrial Officer...........................Ken McAlpine Industrial Officers.................................. Josh Cullinan, Robyn May Industrial Resource Officer..................Rachel Liebhaber
Research & Policy Unit Coordinator............................................... Paul Kniest Policy & Research Officers................. Terri MacDonald, Jen Tsen Kwok Recruitment & Training Unit National Organiser................................Michael Evans National Publications Coordinator............... Paul Clifton Membership Records Officer............. Melinda Valsorda Administrative Officer............................. Julie-Ann Veal Finance Unit Coordinator........................................... Jenny Savage Finance Officers....................Gracia Ho, Joanne Dunn Jayne van Dalen, Alex Ghvaladze, Tamara Labadze, Joyce Wong
frontline
National Women’s Journal
NTEU
Cover photo by Dirk HR Spennemann, ‘Kris (selective colour) (57-366)’. ©2008. Used with permission.www.flickr.com/photos/heritagefutures/
Volume 17, September 2009 Editorial 2 NTEU National President Carolyn Allport. NEWS Gender and employment equity project Mother’s Day Classic
Supporting the Union’s Indigenous employment claims 10 Alma Mir on the importance of supporting NTEU’s Indigenous employment mandatory claim in collective bargaining. Women’s Conference workshops
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GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS
State of the Sector
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Excuse me, ma’am, what’s your shoe size? 17 Is not being a man an impediment to running your own ARC project?
PAID PARENTAL LEAVE INTERNATIONAL
Don’t Panic! 2009 NTEU Women’s Conference: the GFC and how it affects women. A new model for globalisation: equity and sustainability Sharan Burrow believes we need a new mini industrial revolution.
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The impact of the GFC on women in developing countries 7 Clarissa Leite says focusing funding on women is not just about equity and rights, but also about effectiveness and impact. Stories from inside the ivory tower 8 Sheree Cartwright’s research on how women resolve work and family duties.
Supporting working families? 12 Terri MacDonald discusses the details and implications of Australia’s new Paid Parental Leave Scheme. INDIGENOUS
Feminists award Obama high marks 18 Peggy Simpson delivers the verdict on President Barack Obama’s policies for women. Higher education for the public good 21 Carolyn Allport reports on UNESCO’s World Conference on Higher Education.
A harder path for Indigenous academics 14 Bronwyn Fredericks ponders the different experience for Indigenous academics. INDUSTRIAL
News from around the globe Women in higher education in Egypt, Canada, Africa and the UK.
Reasserting collaboration and trust in the midst of a crisis 9 Donna Weeks on beginning to see a way through the gloom.
Equity threat at UC 16 Proposals for radical changes to employment conditions have raised some equity problems at UC.
In accordance with NTEU policy to reduce our impact on the natural environment, this magazine is printed on Behaviour – a 30% recycled stock, manufactured by a PEFC Certified mill, which is ECF Certified Chlorine Free.
frontline is published once a year by National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU),
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Liliany Obando 24 Support for jailed Colombian unionist.
PO Box 1323, Sth Melbourne, VIC 3205 Australia. ISSN 1322–2945, ABN 38 579 396 344 Ph: 03 9254 1910 Fax: 03 9254 1915 Email: national@nteu.org.au Editor: Carolyn Allport Production & Design: Paul Clifton Editorial Assistance: Anastasia Kotaidis All text and images ©2009 unless otherwise noted. Current and previous issues available online at: www.nteu.org.au/frontline See p.17 for soft delivery opt-out.
EDITORIAL TOPIC
Keeping pace for women in an economic slowdown Carolyn Allport, NTEU National President
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his edition of Frontline comes soon after our national Women’s Conference held in July. There we heard from a young Colombian woman, Clarissa Leite, now living in Melbourne and working for the International Women’s Development Agency. Her work emphasised how women bore many of the costs of the Global Financial Crisis within rural communities in our own region of the Asia-Pacific. Some 65 per cent of women work in the informal sector where work is vulnerable to changes in the economy, where income is low and work is seasonal. The highly regarded micro-financing models have not been able to be sustained with significant consequences for women’s access to food, education and literacy opportunities. Infrastructure such as water, sanitation and maternal health facilities have been weakened with long term effects on many rural communities in poorer countries in our region. Clarissa spoke with passion on the importance of employment programs especially in areas of public health, education and child care given that women are heavily represented in these areas. These issues were given reality with the presentation of Sharan Burrow, President of the ACTU and head of the International Trade Union movement. The conference also heard, via video, from Joseph Stiglitz, a prominent economist and critic of the market approach to development. We have also included an update on United States politics with an interesting article on newly elected President Barack Obama. Moving away from the international arena, Frontline focuses specifically on what the economic slowdown has meant for women working in higher education. This edition introduces current issues such as how best to ensure balance between family life and paid work. This debate is not a new one, but this time there is a new factor in the equation. In the recent Budget the Federal Government included for the first time a paid parental leave scheme. As you will see in the pages ahead, this 2
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vol.16, September October 2008 vol.17, 2009
is a significant gain for women and their partners. Although the program does not begin until 2011, and there are still questions that need answering, it is significant. This means that Australian women now have comparability with the rest of the world in terms of government funded parental leave. At the Women’s Conference, we also looked at issues current at our institutions, including a general trend for institutions to undertake ‘academic renewal’ rounds. At some institutions this has been accompanied by redundancies and course closures in certain areas. There has been a focus by management on changing the profiles of our institutions, although there is often little consultation around such decisions. Increasingly women are becoming more important in universities, albeit that there are still problems in terms of career development. It is vital that members become involved with campaigns and bargaining to ensure that women are not just there in increasing numbers, but that we are also occupying positions of power within our institutions. Finally, I hope you enjoy the contribution from Nikki Stanford from Deakin University, whose colleagues just could not provide the right footwear for her job at the university. Alas Nikki, a lover of shoes, is still looking for her perfect fit. Thanks to the members of the NTEU Women’s Action Committee who made our conference inspiring and enjoyable. Left: Virginia Mansel Lees, Carolyn Allport and Sharan Burrow listen to Clarissa Leite's talk at the 2009 NTEU Women's Conference. Photo: Paul Clifton
NEWS TOPIC
Gender and employment equity project
N
TEU, along with UniSuper and Universities Australia, was successful in being awarded an ARC Research Grant to examine new questions around gender equity in the university sector. Our union has provided considerable leadership on these issues over the years, In 1996, NTEU received government funding to examine whether there was a gender employment gap between men and women in Australian universities. This was one of the very first industry based studies and has been an influential publication. Gender inequity in pay and employment remain a feature of Australian society and can impair labour productivity. Lower female labour force participation rates continue to be a major issue, resulting in less than optimum use of women’s skills. This project undertakes detailed analysis of these issues in Australian Universities, the major training site for the national skilled workforce. It will develop practical strategies to promote gender equity in universities. As women’s participation is a major driver of labour force growth, this research will provide vital information for many industries. The grant, administered by Griffith University, allows for $348,000 over four years. We look forward to the work to be undertaken by our colleagues: Professor Glenda Strachan, Associate Professor Gillian Whitehouse, Professor David Peetz, Dr Janis Bailey and Dr Kay Broadbent.
Mother’s Day Classic
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n Sunday 10 May 2009, NTEU’s University of South Australia Branch staff took part in the annual Mother’s Day Classic fun run/walk to promote and raise funds for research into breast cancer prevention and treatment. A wonderful day was had by all, and we are hoping for a larger NTEU turnout next year Pictured: Juliet Fuller, Lynn Walsh, Samuel Fuller & Lucas Fuller
It’s been a long struggle... PARENTAL LEAVE
NTEU >> ENTER
PRISE BARG
AINING >>
PARENTAL
LEAVE
BETTER PA ID PARENTAL LEAVE for
a better ba between wo lance rk and family .
On 13-15 November 2009, join the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) on a 3 day walk along the Great Ocean Rd. A group of around 20 will travel from Melbourne to Apollo Bay, then walk from Blanket Bay to Cape Otway. After spending the night in Cape Otway, participants will walk from Cape Otway to Johanna, and the following day will see the sights of Milanesia Beach and Wreck Beach, returning to Melbourne that night.
Staff are pare nts, too. Our families are just as important as our wor k. NTEU is wor king for imp roved paid parental leave in your Enterprise Bargaining Agreement, so we can get the bala nce right.
IT'S YOUR PAY & CO SUPPORT NDITIONS THE EB CA . MPAIGN TO FOR MORE INFO ON ENTER DAY! OR HOW TO PRISE BARG JOIN THE NTEU, AININ VISIT US ONLIN G WW W. NT EU E AT .ORG.AU
Productivity Com mission
Inquiry
Towards paid leave for pare nts Terri MacDona ld Policy & Research Officer NTEU National Office
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espite the mountain ous volumes of research and demonstrating evidence the economic leave, Australia and social benefits remains one of paid parental of the few countries have some form that, absurdly, of national paid does not maternity leave for workers. Oft quoted statistics that compare Australia’s deficiency clearly. conditions internationa While Denmark lly highlight this and Norway have (Norway provides the highest level 96 weeks of paid of maternity benefits maternity leave OECD countries while Denmark – Australia and provides 52), only the US – fail to mothers. two guarantee any form of paid leave to Fathers, in turn, new are granted paid paternity countries; and thirty one of these countries leave or paid parental leave in sixty-five workers who are offer at least 14 new parents average weeks of paid leave. 25 weeks between British With the political them; German emphasis currently employees 30. on productivity ics, the argument and market-driv that Australia ‘can’t en economafford universal often made by employers. paid maternity leave’ Leaving aside is to examine the the relative costs, provision for paid it is therefore useful parental leave in production and play in countries labor costs. Even that have low here, Australia lags for 4–6 months far behind: Vietnam at 100% of wages, provides China provides nesia allows for for 90 days at 100% 3 months at 100%. and IndoBoth the Philippines 60 days at 100% and South Korea of wages, while Thailand allows allow for another 45 days. 100% for 45 days, then 50% for The current standard for parental leave unpaid maternity in Australia is the leave, for a period right of access to of 52 weeks leave granted to all award at the birth of a employees in 1991 child. First sion (AIRC), it subsequent by the Australian Industrial Relations CommisReform Act (Commonw ly became enshrined in legislation in the Industrial ealth) 1993. The Relations Relations Act (Commonw provision was then inserted into the ealth) 1996 and, Workplace Conditions Standard in 2006, included under the WorkChoic in the Australian Fair Pay and In terms of paid es legislation. maternity, or parental 2002, this culminated leave, there has been considerab in an inquiry by le debate. In the Human Rights mission (HREOC), and Equal Opportunit the purpose of which and make recommend y Comwas to ations to the Governmen review options for paid maternity leave t. continued overpage... vol.16, October
2008
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Challenge for Change is not just an opportunity for you to have an amazing holiday experience; it is a chance for you to support the work of IWDA. By participating, you will make a difference to the lives of many women by raising money to support the work of IWDA’s project partners in Asia and the Pacific.
Contact IWDA for more information: ph 1300 661 812, www.iwda.org.au
But will it deliver? vol.17, September 2008
See p.12
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WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Global Financial Crisis
Don’t Panic!
4
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vol.17, September 2009
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Women’s Conference 2009
T
he focus of this year’s NTEU Women’s Conference was the effect of the Global Financial Crisis on the work and family lives of women in Australia and internationally. Two keynote speakers provided different perspectives on the theme. Clarissa Leite from the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) spoke about women in developing countries (see report, p.7) and Sharon Burrow, ACTU President spoke about the response of the trade union movement both in Australia and internationally (see report, p.6). These speakers set the theme for the rest of the Conference which looked at the implications for collective bargaining in the higher education sector. Sessions included panels and workshops, focusing on progressing the current round of bargaining, and activities for involving the membership and promoting membership growth.
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It was terrific to meet and work collectively with a diverse range of women members of the NTEU. I personally felt enriched by the level of discussion and enjoyed the overall sense of collegiality. Virginia Mansel Lees, La Trobe University
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Top left: Clairssa Leite (IWDA) delivering her presentation to the 2009 Women’s Conference. Photo: Paul Clifton Top right: Robyn May (Industrial Officer), Eleanor Floyd (Acting Industrial Coordinator), Peter Harkness (who spoke about tackling performance pay at Swinburne University) and Sheree Cartwright (who spoke about her work as a casual and contract research staff member). Photo: Terri MacDonald Above: Delegates at the FEU Conference Centre in South Melbourne. Photo: Paul Clifton Opposite: Stencil in Sunderland, UK.
Photo: Simon/mr_la_rue, www.flickr.com/photos/92206803@N00/ vol.17, September 2009
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WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
A new model for globalisation: equity and sustainability Sharan Burrow, ACTU President, International Trade Union Confederation President
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haran Burrow spoke to the 2009 NTEU Women’s Conference on the effect of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) on women. While Australia has escaped the worst of the GFC, the credit model in Australia is not so different. The double crunch hits workers hardest and women especially. When unemployment increases equality for women becomes harder to achieve, and where inequity has traditionally been an issue for women, it has now expanded to include men. Unions are analysing these issues based on core humanitarian values. Pre-GFC, the OECD Growing Unequal Report in 2005 clearly shows inequities such as a 25 per cent gap in women’s wages and one third of the workforce in part-time employment, the majority being women. Due to the GFC, men are also now in insecure employment positions, increasing the male count in underemployment and thereby drawing attention to the issue. Employment must be an indicator of recovery: low wages increase inequity, whilst better wages increase job opportunities. The recent decision of the Fair Pay Commission – granting no increase in the minimum wage – is an unfortunate interpretation of the current economic situation. Such thinking confirms the need to pursue collective bargaining and improved employment standards. The current model of globalisation is based on competition, increased profits and short term gain without regard to social conditions and employment. Sharan believes now is the time to develop a new, decent and fair globalisation model that equals
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decent work. The ILO Decent Work Program (2008) describes decent work as based on fair income and rights for workers inclusive of social equality and protection. World leaders must continue to advocate for new models based on cooperation with balances of internal and external demand. Domestic demand includes a policy space for the domestic economy alongPhoto: Paul Clifton side a global social cohesion. Sharan says world leaders need to lead a mini industrial revolution, investing in new and sustainable industries, with global industry policy setting standards. There must be an emphasis on employment and investment in green and sustainable products. It is critical that women shift with a new model of globalisation, including better collective bargaining and, for women in third world countries, better migration opportunities. Sharan is optimistic. The way forward should be based on a green economy with equity and decent work and investments in skills and opportunities for women. This report by Jane Battersby based on the presentation by Sharan Burrow at the 2009 NTEU Women’s Conference.
I have been very fortunate to be chosen to attend a number of workshops sponsored by the NTEU now (although this was my first Women’s Conference). I would like to encourage other members to have the same opportunity, and that might include more at the branch level. I’ve always found the National and Division offices supportive in any endeavours we would like to do, but attending this Conference has helped with ideas that we might use in the near future. Donna Weeks, USC
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WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
The impact of the Global Financial Crisis on women in developing countries Clarissa Leite, International Women’s Development Agency Communications Coordinator
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larissa Leite started by mapping inequality between women and men. She defined equality as ‘women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities not depending on whether they are born male or female’, and she noted that despite progress, inequalities between men and women exist in every country, and across many areas of life. She demonstrated through a range of statistics and quotes that ‘Inequality has a woman’s face’ and went on to discuss the way that the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) will impact on women economically, their opportunities for education, health and safety and the flow on effects for their children. She explained that in the AsiaPacific region about 65 per cent of women work in vulnerable sectors, primarily informal work which is temporary, casual, seasonal, contract and low-skilled. Companies are relocating to wherever costs are lower. Limited skills, education and training restrict opportunities to move into better paid and more secure work. Women’s caring responsibilities also impede their ability to upgrade their skills. Women are laid off first as men are considered as the primary providers for their families. She showed evidence that already women are reducing their consumption of food in response to rising food prices, and that reductions in micro-financing will impact significantly on poor women. In the area of education, Clarissa outlined the high rates of illiteracy for women – 66 per cent of the world’s illiterate people are women. There is a risk with the GFC that education for girls will be seen as a luxury. Lack of education has long-term effects on health and well being and on the community as a whole. Clarissa also spoke about the risk of investments in health, water and sanitation being cut back in response to budget decreases. Access to maternal health care is already inadequate in poor countries, and the flow on effects to children mean that this impacts on the whole community. The GFC appears to be linked to an increase in domestic violence against women, and the increased number of women working in the sex industry. Violence against women is a greater cause of ill-health than traffic accidents and malaria. This all points to the need to invest in health and social
services, in women’s economic empowerment, and to ensure that stimulus packages and other policy responses are genderequitable. Clarissa suggested that focusing funding on social infrastructure – such as public health, education, childcare and other social services has two benefits. Firstly, it generates jobs for women since women are heavily represented in those secPhoto: Paul Clifton tors and secondly it helps support women’s family and caring work. She restated the well-known formula of aid agencies that when women benefit, the whole community benefits and that focusing on women is not just about equity and rights, but also about effectiveness and impact. Clarissa then went on to talk specifically about the work of the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA), and the focus on making positive change for women, primarily in the Asia-Pacific region. They work from a basis of recognizing that women are experts in their own lives, and work in partnership with over 140 women’s organisations in more than 45 countries. The IWDA focuses specifically on six areas: • Livelihood and economic empowerment. • Safety and security. • Social, physical and mental health. • Education. • Environmental sustainability. • Civil and political participation. Clarissa explained that IWDA relies on donations for 40 per cent of it’s funding, the rest comes from AusAID. Following the presentation many women collected information about IWDA and expressed interest in becoming donors. This report by Linda Seavorn based on the presentation by Clarissa Leite at the 2009 NTEU Women’s Conference.
For more information on IWDA, visit www.iwda.org.au vol.17, September 2009
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WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Stories from inside the ivory tower Women’s experiences of combining paid work and family life when employed in the Victorian higher education sector Sheree Cartwright
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heree Cartwright’s experiences of employment within the higher education sector mirror that of many women, being a combination of casual work and fixed-term contracts. This combined with the acknowledgement that the majority of female academics across Australian universities work in levels A, B and C, and an interest in how gender inequality, work and family are connected, led her research on how women resolve working in this environment with family commitments and the factors which influence the decisions they make. To highlight the issues raised, Sheree shared the stories of two of her research participants, Anna and Miriam, who were both employed in higher education after the birth of the youngest child and made significant changes to their careers so as to combine paid work and caring. Anna was employed at a high-level position prior to the birth, but rather than returning to work in the same capacity she resigned and took up another position at a different institution, four levels lower than her previous appointment prior to maternity leave. Anna saw this as a viable solution to the issue of managing work and caring for her children. Miriam talked about her intention to find a new
job and taking unpaid leave for a year. She stated ‘I’m at Level B now and I’d actually consider going down [a level] in order to take a part-time job if there was one that I thought was truly a part-time job or job-share’. Both examples highlight the challenges of juggling paid work and caring in an employment culture which demands long hours and highlights an ‘ideal-worker’ norm, a key issue which Sheree believes needs to be discussed in conjunction with attracting and retaining women in the higher education sector. This report by Paula Johnson based on the presentation by Sheree Cartwright at the 2009 NTEU Women’s Conference.
Sheree Cartwright presenting a casual staffer’s story. Photo: Terri MacDonald
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A great opportunity, gratifying, exciting, educational. Conference delegate
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Excellent – very worthwhile. Conference delegate
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Reasserting collaboration and trust in the midst of a crisis Donna Weeks, University of the Sunshine Coast
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t can be all too easy to feel overwhelmed by the extent of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), and wonder what, as a unionist in tertiary education, one could possibly do to alleviate growing dislocation, poverty and other manifest implications of a financial system teetering on the brink. The Union made the GFC a key theme of the 2009 Women’s Conference and, by general consensus, by the end of day one of two days in Melbourne, we were beginning to see a way through the gloom. Clarissa Leite of the International drew the ‘global’ down to the Women’s Development Agency ‘local’ through presentations (IWDA), spoke of the impact on the Bradley Report and the GFC is having on women in bargaining – it became appardeveloping countries particularly ent that ensuring employment in Australia’s own Asia-Pacific remains as a benchmark in backyard. When access to our solutions, for example, finances begins to dry up, it is that we monitor the ways in often the women who are the which equity remains parafirst to forfeit their own wellbeing mount for all. for their family, and this impacts We all have a role in getting on their community. Girls are in and supporting, agitatoften the first to be dropped from ing, speaking out at our local the educational opportunities in campuses and through this, favour of their brothers. Conference delegates Andrea Lamont-Mills (USQ), Donna Weeks (USC), through the pathways identiThe crisis impacts on rising fied by all the speakers at the Margaret Lee (Queensland Division Secretary) and Kay Sauer (Curtin). prices for staple foods, health conference, moving up from Photo: Terri MacDonald services diminish, and credit dries the ‘local’ and reaching out up for the micro-financing opportunities mean for us as union members and again to the ‘global’, this time in colwhich have provided such empowering activists? laboration and trust, not competition and prospects for women. The ramifications Ms Burrow’s reminder, in her closself-interest. are manifest for their communities. ing remarks, of our role as educators Thanks also to Paul Kniest for making resonated strongly with many of us, and the 2009 Federal Budget comprehensisuddenly a ‘big crisis’ became more ble through PowerPoint slides. Challenging globalisation ‘manageable’. Many of us saw a way Sharan Burrow reminded delegates that to contribute to the issues that still lie the union movement has in fact been ahead. That involves many things: our speaking out for some 15 years or more place in tertiary education as teachers, [The Conference was] informative and on the potential problems of inequity and instructors, researchers, general staff, unsustainability of globalisation. It seems availability to talk to our students, our a good strengthening network experience but it took the GFC for others to catch up. colleagues, our communities in ways we more emphasis should be given to the falling Ms Burrow was optimistic however, that can convey the bigger impact. membership - a crucial issue. the recent ILO Jobs Summit heralded a Georgina Murray, Griffith University move towards less competitiveness and Maintaining equity more cooperation. In particular she noted the speech It extends also to the bargaining in our by French President Nicolas Sarkozy institutions as well. As NTEU National as setting a new benchmark in returnPresident, Carolyn Allport and Queensing to some balance. But what did this land Division Secretary, Margaret Lee
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WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Supporting the Union’s Indigenous employment claims Alma Mir, Batchelor Insititute
I
write this from the perspective of an Indigenous general staff member from a small institution. Batchelor Institute located in the NT has a current Indigenous staffing level of 33% having clawed its way back from a low of 23% in 2005. We did not do it by ourselves – it took a team effort by Indigenous staff, non-Indigenous staff and support from the NTEU – staff held lunchtime protests in 2005 over a period of 6 weeks in October/ November against the effects of a major restructure that resulted in the abolishment of 5 identified Indigenous positions – in a Indigenous institution! The importance of supporting the NTEU’s Indigenous Employment mandatory claim is that it is one of many strategies that we as unionists can employ to enhance the working conditions of one of Australia’s most disadvantaged peoples – Indigenous Australians.
How can you help? Support and enshrine the Indigenous claim not only in your Agreement, but
make its implementation one of your priorities by: • Supporting the notion of positive discrimination. • Support Indigenous staff to meet their aspirations in work and lifes pathways. • Don’t feel threatened by identified positions or other positive discrimination measures – but instead, offer your skills and encourage colleagues and students to ‘be all they can be’. • Recognising that some staff may be
quite happy at their current level, they may not want to seek promotion or engage in further studies – and this is OK – they are just as valuable and respect this. • Empowering Indigenous people through honest and reliable performance management systems that value diversity, traditional ways of knowing and being, and the other skills and knowledge that come from the bothways philosophy. Remember – Indigenous employment rests with all of us, not just management. An empowering strategy calls upon the goodwill, cooperation and ownership of all us, to pave the way for future generations to access quality education and fair and equitable working conditions.
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I found the information on enterprise bargaining interesting and the effect of the GFC very interesting. Most of all the contributions of the Indigenous speakers were very inspiring. I feel rather ignorant of the plight of Aboriginal staff members and the community overall. To hear these speakers was quite inspiring. Conference delegate
Indigenous Employment and Education presentation at 2009 Women’s Conference (L–R): Alma Mir (Batchelor), Bronwyn Fredericks (Monash), Adam Frogley (National Indigenous Officer) and Stacey Durrell (UCan). Photo Terri MacDonald 10
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WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Workshops: getting down to business Carolyn Cope (QUT) and Donna Weeks (USC)
T
he opportunity to spend time in a workshop situation to work through campaigning ideas and strategies was a valuable experience for the group. We spent a good deal of time initially sharing past experiences, what worked and what didn’t. We moved on to discussing the industrial climate as it related to our university environment, as a whole, but also Branch-by-Branch. New technology featured quite prominently – MySpace, YouTube,Facebook, even Twitter. But also one-on-one communication was deemed just as important – COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE, and also the message: ‘Our Universities Matter’. Delegates demonstrated a real enthusiasm for planning and strategising. We determined that the aim of campaigning is to maximise awareness, involvement and commitment. ‘Knowing the facts’ was emphasised; get the ballot up, then determine what were people prepared to
do in terms of a ‘stop-work’ agenda etc. Actions may include the imposition of bans, limitation or restriction of tasks and withdrawal of labour. Staying in full communication with the National and Divisional offices was also highlighted. All action taken should send a message to management that the membership is aware of the issues and that the bargaining team has their full support. The follow-up feedback session was a terrific way to hear and consolidate the different ideas and different approaches – not just towards campaigning, but indeed, the ways in which groups approach these exercises. We all took away much more than we came with.
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It was an interesting experience and a good opportunity to meet a variety of women members from across the country. Conference delegate
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State of the Sector Virginia Mansel Lees, La Trobe University
A
fter receiving an impressive array of supporting material for the 2009 Women’s Conference, I agreed to provide feedback on the State of the Sector and the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis. If the supporting documentation was impressive then the panel discussion demonstrated a very sophisticated analysis of the sector and the challenges ahead. NTEU National President, Carolyn Allport was the first speaker and she outlined what the Bradley Report has set out for the sector and how we can engage with these changes. Although most of us have had exposure to some aspects of the Bradley Report it was important to hear how the Union can use the changes in and what they might mean in the longer term. Paul Kniest followed on with an overview of the Federal Budget and how our sector fared in these deliberations. The
use of graphs bought the reality of the situation to the forefront and highlighted the areas that we need to connect with so as to maximise opportunities for funding. What these measures will mean for the sector was also discussed and although there are opportunities, there are also constraints that we need to be alert to. Queensland Division Secretary Margaret Lee was the final speaker and she was able to tie together much of what had been discussed and to frame this into the
link between bargaining and campaigning. Effective campaign activities can have a very positive impact on bargaining as it is an opportunity to unite members around a common cause and offers opportunities for creativity. A comment that stood out for me was ‘Employment is the Benchmark of Recovery’ and as our sector is set to experience significant change over the coming years the analysis provided by the NTEU is vital for members to understand where we stand and what needs to be done. vol.17, vol.16, September October 2008
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PARENTAL LEAVE
Rudd’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme
Supporting working families? Photo: James Long
Terri MacDonald, Policy & Research Officer
A
fter an intense lobbying campaign by unions, community groups and women, the Federal Government announced in the 2009 Budget the introduction of Australia’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme: Supporting working Australian families, to commence from 1 January 2011. The scheme will cover either the birth or adoption of a new child by a primary carer, although details on age for adoption are not yet known. While in most situations the ‘primary carer’ will be the mother, the leave can be transferred to the father or samesex partner if they are the primary carer and meet the requirements. It may also be transferred part way through so parents can share the leave. To be eligible, the primary carer will have been employed continuously for at least 10 of the previous 13 months before the birth and to have worked at least 330 hours in that period. The criteria will apply to permanent employees, casuals, contractors and the self-employed. The Government estimates about 148,000 parents will be eligible for the payments each year. According to data cited in the Productivity Commission report, approximately 280,000 mothers gave birth in 2007, of which about 175,000 were working; meaning that (according to official figures) approximately 85 per cent of working parents would be eligible for the payments. 12
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National Maternity Scheme Eligible primary carers will receive their maternity payment at the rate of the minimum wage, (currently $543.78 per week, to a total of approximately $10,000 over 18 weeks). The scheme will be means tested, but only on the primary carer’s income. Primary carers who earn more than $150,000 a year are ineligible, Those who are ineligible, or chose not to take the payment, may claim the $5,000 Baby Bonus, which will remain unchanged. The scheme rules out eligibility for Family Tax Benefit B for the duration of the payments, but those who chose the Baby Bonus payment may be eligible. If there are multiple births, parents would receive one paid leave entitlement but, subject to an income test, would receive the Baby Bonus for extra children. It’s important to note that the scheme is considered to be taxable income and will count toward the primary carer’s annual income. While the Government estimates that on average, paid parental leave recipients would be about $2,000 better off than current arrangements, much will depend on the rate of taxation, as the higher the rate the more reduced the worth of the parental
leave payment. It is estimated that approximately 14 per cent of potential recipients of paid leave will opt to keep the baby bonus and existing welfare payments as the arrangements for the paid parental leave will leave them financially worse off, or with little benefit.
Non-Primary Carer payment axed An early draft recommendation (made by the Productivity Commission considered the feasibility of a national paid parental scheme) supported payment for the non-primary care-givers (two weeks at the rate of the minimum wage). It was argued that such a payment would create incentives for fathers to ‘exercise greater caring responsibilities’ and emphasise the important role of the supporting partner. It would also signal to employers that the role of fathers in caring for children was vital, giving weight to the broader issues of work/family balance. This provision was also applicable to the same-sex partner who was not the primary carer. However, this aspect of the proposal was omitted in the Government scheme in order to reduce costs of the scheme.
Impact on bargaining Full details of the scheme are yet to be finalised and the Government will be undertaking consultations with business organisations, employers and unions in the second half of 2009, with a view to introducing legislation in 2010. Until that time, no detailed information as to the structure of the scheme is available, save that set out in the Government’s booklet. The booklet states that the paid parental leave entitlement will be able to be taken in conjunction with, or in addition to, employer-provided paid maternity and parental leave, and other employer-provided leave entitlements. In particular, it says: ‘Employers who provide PPL through an industrial instrument cannot withdraw that entitlement for the life of that instrument. During bargaining for a new agreement, employers and employees will be able to agree to modify existing employer PPL provisions in the light of the introduction of the new Government PPL scheme.’ It is unclear what this means for NTEU’s current bargaining. On the face of it, it would appear to mean that if existing arrangements remain unchanged university staff will be entitled to between 26 and 36 weeks paid parental leave at full pay, PLUS their 18-week entitlement at the minimum wage. However, in recent discussions with the Department of Families, Housing, Community Service and Indigenous Affairs, it became apparent that the inevitable result of some staff thus being entitled to more than 52 weeks paid parental leave had not occurred to them. It is clear that there will be significant political pressure on the Government to allow employers to absorb the Governmentfunded paid parental leave entitlements where they already pay over 18 weeks. The Scheme will cover casuals, contractors and the selfemployed as well as employees. As most of our Agreements do not provide for paid parental leave for casuals, NTEU needs to consider whether and how we can ensure casuals may also access existing paid parental leave arrangements in our Agree-
Our Parental Leave claim
Finding a balance between work and home
That the Agreement provide for: 1. If the Government’s Australian Paid Parental Leave Scheme requires absorption of the Government-funded paid parental leave payment by employers, 36 weeks paid parental leave at full salary for all staff (including casuals and fixed term staff) with one year’s service. 2. If the Government’s Australian Paid Parental Leave Scheme permits but does not require absorption of the Government-funded paid parental leave payment by employers, continuation of existing University-funded paid parental leave arrangements. 3. In either case, if allowed by the Scheme: a) Access to existing University-funded paid parental leave to casual staff and staff with less than one year’s service on the same basis as set out in the Government’s Australian Paid Parental Leave Scheme. b) Access to administration of paid parental leave payments through University payroll for staff with less than one year’s service. c) Payment of normal superannuation entitlements on the Government-funded component of paid parental leave. d) Accrual of annual leave during any period of Government-funded paid parental leave.
Photo: Jason Froome
PARENTAL LEAVE
ments (the 26-36 weeks) in addition to the 18-week minimum wage payment. The Family Assistance Office will be responsible for administering the scheme, which will primarily work by transferring funds to employers who will then pass on the paid parental leave payments through their normal pay cycle. However, employers will only be required to do this for employees that have completed 12 months continuous service. This would appear to mean some staff would not receive their paid parental leave payments through normal payroll. It is unclear whether administration of payments through payroll for this small group of staff could nonetheless be agreed through bargaining. Finally, in the Government’s scheme employers are not compelled to contribute to superannuation or other industrial entitlements, such as long service leave and annual leave. Currently, it is unclear whether payment of these provisions on the Government paid parental leave payments is something that may nonetheless be agreed through bargaining. Given the uncertainty of the impact of the new scheme on current and future industrial arrangements, NTEU has drafted a model claim to guide the Union during the present round of negotiations. It is by necessity broadly defined, as much will depend on the fine print in the final legislation of the scheme. vol.17, vol.16, September October 2009 2008
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INDIGENOUS
Race and equity in higher education
A harder path for Indigenous academics Bronwyn Fredericks, Monash University
O
ur experiences as Indigenous academics within universities often reflects the experiences we have as Indigenous people in broader society, yet I am still surprised and angered when it is others working in higher education who espouse notions of justice and equity with whom we experience tension and conflict in asserting our rights, values and cultural values. At times it is a constant struggle even when universities have Reconciliation Statements as most of them do now, Indigenous recruitment or employment strategies and university wide anti-racism and anti-discrimination policies and procedures. The reality is that universities can and do reproduce imperial attitudes and processes which marginalise and exclude us whilst proclaiming they want to include and involve us. It is with sadness that sometimes it is also other unionists within higher education environments with whom we experience such conflict and tension and issues of inclusion and exclusion.
A rocky road Indigenous academics experience many of the same issues faced by other higher education workers. We also face issues that are particular to us as Indigenous employees and as Indigenous academics. For example, Indigenous academics: • Struggle to be recognised for the work we do in our disciplines and to be employed within our disciplines. • Apply for academic positions against non-Indigenous people who have been in jobs for years in fields of study that are about us. • Are sometimes employed because other academics in the university think they (Indigenous person) will ‘fit in’. This is 14
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problematic when the status quo marginalises Indigenous people. • Have to work with other academics who labour against Indigenous voices about our being, our knowledge, our culture and our land and show no concern for our rights or empowerment. • Can be seen as ‘ungrateful’ and ‘stirrers’ when we question, raise issues and challenge and when non-Indigenous academics are positioned as the ‘good people’ who are only trying to help. Statements about people ‘just trying to help’ assist in hiding non-Indigenous privilege, power and hierarchy associated with the academy. • Compete in grant application processes against non-Indigenous academics who apply in opposition to us rather than with us for research projects about us. • Can be asked to be involved in grant applications as associate investigators or later asked to do the project’s interviews with Indigenous participants, assist in analysing data, and to enact Indigenous research protocols and procedures instead of being asked to be a co-investigator or another chief investigator.
Photo: Paul Clifton
INDIGENOUS
• Can be told to seek Indigenous sources of funding even though as academics we are entitled to access universitybased funding. • Continually hear and watch our qualifications devalued. • Are often on short-term employment contracts and articulating issues or questioning the racialised power and privilege within the work unit, school or faculty may jeopardise any on-going contracts or possible tenure. • Experience the reality that Indigenous Studies journals are graded much lower in the ERA process than journals in other disciplines and fields. • Are excluded from discussions about Indigenous scholarly matters when universities only consult with the Indigenous Centres on campus. • Are excluded and marginalised when the only viable employment for us is seen as the Indigenous Centres. • Are sometimes held back by Indigenous and non-Indigenous gatekeepers within universities. • Can be asked for the purposes of equity, cultural diversity, representation, to sit on a committee, be a resource to assist in connecting students to Indigenous community groups, or be a member of a curriculum review panel. This is regardless of whether we have expressed interest or not, and whether we have skills and abilities in that area or not. • Can be oppressed, disempowered and exploited by both men and women in universities, including women who raise issues associated with the ‘glass ceiling’ and gender-based disadvantages.
Audre Lorde (1984: 44) states that, ‘it is not difference that immobilises us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken’. I have tried to break the silence and to make visible some of the issues that Indigenous academics face within universities. Silence allows people to feel warm and fuzzy about having an array of Indigenous related documents (Reconciliation Statements, Indigenous Employment Strategies) while Indigenous peoples are still being marginalised, denigrated and exploited within universities, and continues the on-going systemic marginalisation and institutional privilege and the epistemology that maintains them. I encourage others to move beyond the warm and fuzzy feelings, beyond the thinking that our universities are doing okay because we have these documents. They are not! They are only a beginning, we can’t stop there. We need to move beyond them and be looking towards what comes next. To be part of future change: • I want you and need you to break the silences, to question and to name. • I want you and need you to examine your own practices within universities. • I want you and need you to enact and act for real change, for you and me. This is an abbreviated version the presentation at the National 2009 NTEU Women’s Conference. Lorde, A. 1984. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, Freedom, CA: Crossing Press. vol.17, September 2009
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INDUSTRIAL Mary Wollstonecraft quote on UC sculpture. Photo: Jane Maze
Equity threat at UC Jane Maze, NTEU ACT Division Organiser
N
TEU and staff comments about equity problems in University of Canberra (UC) proposals for radical changes to employment conditions have led to some improvement, but key issues are unresolved. The Union, while accepting some aspects of the University’s ‘Academic Renewal’ proposal, rejects its attempts to reduce job security and increase teaching load limits. The proposal’s implications for those with caring responsibilities, still overwhelmingly women, are disturbing.
Fixed-term roles jump The university proposes hiring all new level A to C staff on fixed-term contracts. After a seven year contract at ‘Assistant Professor’ Level (B and C integrated) only those who are then promotable to level D would become continuing staff. It appears unlikely that others will receive a second contract. This expectation of progress is of course much faster than is usual in the sector. The NTEU has no objection to academics having the opportunity to move quickly, but rejects the view that this must be the only acceptable career path at UC. The Vice-Chancellor has insisted that his proposal must include a ‘trade off’ of fixed-term contracts for all new staff, allowing easy removal of those who are not ready for promotion to the next level even if they are satisfactory at their current one. The NTEU rejects this. ‘The VC’s proposal to fast-track careers and remove those who can’t keep up has serious equity implications,’ said UC Branch Committee member Annabel Beckenham. ‘The union and many members and staff have pointed out that primary carers of children and elders - mostly women - are very unlikely to be able to make the kind of accelerated progress the ViceChancellor wants.’
A partial win After union and staff protests the Vice-Chancellor added wording to his proposal stating that performance and promotability would be judged ‘relative to opportunity’, taking into account career breaks, caring responsibilities and so on. ‘This is a move forward, but the judgement on what is a good achievement relative to opportunity is still quite subjective. When what is at stake is whether one has a continuing job, or no job, this consideration is even more serious,’ said Annabel. ‘The union stands against the whole proposal that continuing jobs should be replaced with fixed-term jobs in this way.’ 16
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Work-life imbalance Men and women throughout the sector commonly estimate that a sixty hour work week is needed to achieve the kind of research results needed for rapid promotion. Many staff choose slower career progression, or to stay at level C, rather than take on a workload that sacrifices family life to this extent. UC Vice-Chancellor Stephen Parker, on the other hand, has described such staff as having ‘become stuck’ and wants to be able to remove any future employees who are not promoted to Level D after seven years at B/C. The VC has also made a claim to increase the limit on teaching weeks for all staff in the next agreement. This claim is strongly rejected by the NTEU as it would make it even harder for academics to achieve a reasonable work-life balance while still having the opportunity and responsibility to carry out research. ‘An increase in the number of teaching weeks each year also directly affects the workloads and work-life balance of general staff,’ commented Claire Stoneman, of the UC Branch Committee.
NTEU seeks more job security, not less At UC, as throughout the sector, NTEU’s bargaining claim is to regain the protections against overuse of fixed-term employment provided by the 1998 Higher Education Contract of Employment (HECE) Award, and lost in the Howard Government’s crusade to reduce workplace rights. The HECE Award was particularly important to women academics, who were much over-represented among those stuck, often for many years, on fixed-term contracts with inferior superannuation, no right to long-service leave or redundancy pay, and no security for the future. After the last election, NTEU immediately moved to regain the HECE limitations on fixed-term employment across the sector, and has been successful in doing so in a number of universities where new collective agreements have been made. It is disappointing that UC management is attempting to cling to industrial powers provided under a workplace relations regime that Australians have resoundingly rejected, and which fly in the face of an important decision of the Industrial Relations Commission.
INDUSTRIAL
Excuse me ma’am, what’s your shoe size? Nikki Stanford, Deakin University
W
omen love shoes. It’s a universal trend. If women have money to spend, shoes are at the top of the spending list. I am a size 7, the centre of the size spectrum. This corresponds to a men’s size 5. Why should I know that I am a men’s size 5? As an avid home renovator, necessitated by my employment at one of Australia’s lowest paid universities, I have a pair of steel capped boots. They are black leather Redbacks with a cushioned sole and red velvet-like interior. I can appreciate all types of shoes, and believe that even a safety boot has its own inner beauty. So it was with great delight last year that I won an ARC Discovery grant that included a large portion of hot metal work, I could already foresee the purchase of a shiny new pair. We employed a technical officer on the grant and he was charged with commissioning the equipment, training staff and equipping the team with the appropriate safety gear. It was with great surprise that I was not included in this process. I investigated a little further and was told that without the correct footwear it would not be safe to join the experimental team (of my own project mind you, how nice of him to let me use my own equipment!). Being positive I thought, ‘Hurrah, another pair of beautiful shoes to add to my collection!’ But alas, I was informed that my men’s size 5 foot was too small, and that I could not be provided with the appropriate footwear. Without the right footwear I could not attend training, and am therefore not an authorised user. Apparently being a named Chief Investigator on the project and being responsible to the ARC for $825,000 of research money is not sufficient to authorise me to attend my own experiments.
So there you are ladies, don’t be fooled, it’s not actually 2009. It is actually the year 1909 where discrimination on the basis of the size of your feet is still common place. Apparently the critical length is a men’s size 6, so if you would like to attend your own research work be sure to tell the technical officer in charge that you are greater than or equal to a men’s size 6.
SAVE TREES. CHOOSE SOFT DELIVERY.
Photo: Chris Orr
Did you know you can opt-out of receiving Frontline by mail? Instead, you’ll receive an email from us when the latest issue is available to be read online as a fully functional e-mag or PDF. Login to www.nteu.org.au to edit your personal details. Go to ‘Your Details’, then ‘Publications & Communication Preferences’ and select ‘Email notification (Soft delivery)’. vol.17, September 2008
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INTERNATIONAL
After the first 100 Days...
Feminists award Obama high marks Peggy Simpson, Women’s Media Centre
W
omen’s rights activists give high marks to President Obama for his fast footwork in reversing many policies of the Reagan and Bush presidencies. They also look forward to significant happenings once a newly created White House Council on Women and Girls gets into high gear. Bush had eliminated a women’s office; Obama put it back, expanded the mandate to look at the impact of federal policy on girls as well as women, and put in charge his top advisor, Valerie Jarrett. Overall, much good has happened. The axiom in politics, however, is to wait and see: promises are one thing but ‘the devil is in the details.’ This time, the details also drew high marks from the feminists. The economic collapse provided the impetus for Obama to propose and get through Congress an array of policy and spending changes that even the most optimistic activist couldn’t have predicted a year ago. Feminists were on the inside helping shape emergency economic recovery bills and the gigantic stimulus package. Part of their job was to make sure the Obama economists and budget strategists knew where women are today. And aren’t. They made sure the architects of the recovery packages understood where to target the money to reach women, especially low-income women who are disproportionately affected by the recession. This was well beyond making sure that the money went beyond ‘shovel ready’ road-building jobs, to reach jobs and sectors dominated by women. The result was a massive increase in funds targeted at lowincome women and women heads of households, directly and indirectly, in health, education, unemployment benefits, childcare subsidies and more. When the Federal Government told the states it was committing mega-billions of dollars to shore up Medicaid funding as part of the economic recovery act, ‘this probably protected health care coverage for 20 million women,’ says Joan Entmacher, Vice President of the National Women’s Law Center. Medicaid is an exceptionally expensive entitlement for the 18
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states. With tax revenues plummeting, states were poised to make major cuts in Medicaid by restricting eligibility to its programmes. The Federal Government promised a new injection of funds for Medicaid – with one stipulation: that states could not restrict current eligibility. ‘That was very, very important in protecting women’s health,’ said Entmacher. Billions more money went to extend unemployment benefits but states getting the money also had to agree to expand their programme, something long sought by women’s rights activists but, even in this recession, opposed by a half-dozen Republican Governors. They had to expand benefits in at least two of the new policy initiatives that would provide unemployment benefits to: • Part-time workers (and these are disproportionably women). • People who left jobs because of compelling family reasons such as illness, domestic violence or care giving. • People who are in certified job training programmes but whose unemployment benefits are about to expire. In addition, they could provide an additional bonus to unemployed workers with dependants. Already, a dozen states have reformed their laws to incorporate these policies, Entmacher said. Other economic recovery programs boosted assistance to low-income families, most of them headed by women, increasing funds for food stamps, housing assistance and child support. And $5 billion was put into programmes for families on welfare, as a temporary expansion of current benefits. ‘That is remarkable, given Congress’ reluctance (on these issues),’ said Entmacher. ‘It was a recognition that in a recession,
INTERNATIONAL
Two women pose with a cardboard cutout of US President Barack Obama in Madison, Wisconsin. Photo by Ron Wiecki, www.flickr.com/photos/rwphoto
you want to provide more assistance to these families because the situation will be getting much worse. Females heading these households already have double-digit unemployment numbers.’ Money was put toward expanding Pell Grants, now being used extensively by women to retool their educational skill levels, for community colleges and for public schools to head off waves of job losses. One of Obama’s first actions was to reauthorise the S-CHIP children’s health care program. President Bush had threatened a veto of it a year earlier. The Obama team not only extended its life, it expanded coverage for pregnant immigrant women and their children, although undocumented children still are not covered, says Kim Gandy, President of the National Organisation for Women. ‘I’m surprised this was not a longer, more difficult battle,’ she said. ‘But the President and Democratic congressional leaders put their muscle behind it.’ Eleanor Smeal, head of the Feminist Majority, said there is a lot more on the platter but she agreed with Obama’s priority on reversing Bush policies. These included: • Reversing the Global Gag Rule, which had barred federal funds from Planned Parenthood and other groups, precluding their offering a full range of reproductive health services overseas (including in countries where AIDS is rampant and condoms are seen by local communities as one of the key tools to control it).
• Restoring $50 million in US funding for the UN Population Fund, which had been held up during the Bush tenure. • Signing the Lily Ledbetter Act which reversed a Supreme Court ruling that had decimated a woman’s right to bring equal pay lawsuits, a bill that had been held up by Republicans when they controlled Congress. • Allowing university health centres – and about 400 clinics serving low-income women – to purchase low-cost birth control, overturning a Bush era action that had banned such discounts, causing the cost of contraceptives to quadruple. • Permitting over-the-counter sale of the morning-after pill to 17-year-olds, something held up by the Food & Drug Administration under a Bush appointee. • Putting in motion mechanisms to reverse one of the last Bush policies, the so-called ‘federal health care refusal rule,’ which would have greatly expanded the ability of hospitals, physicians, pharmacists and others to refuse to supply reproductive health services or products. • Putting $2 billion into childcare subsidy programmes, which had been frozen since 2002, and another $2.1 billion into Head Start programmes, which one Bush budget had proposed eliminating. Nothing explicit is contained in these economic recovery and stimulus packages about training women for non-traditional jobs, such as those involved in ‘greening’ of the economy continued over page... vol.17, vol.16, September October 2009 2008
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INTERNATIONAL
Feminists award Obama high marks continued from previous page
through retrofitting buildings. But the laws make clear that these opportunities will be available to women. And not only the White House Council on Women and Girls will be monitoring this, so will the Department of Labor, under Secretary Hilda Solis, former chair of the Congressional Women’s Caucus and a onetime labour organiser in California. ‘She’s the strongest advocate we’ve had there in some time,’ said Smeal. ‘We’re coming off a time when we had to worry about the Bush Administration wanting to eliminate women’s employment data – just stop keeping the data – to someone who will make it much stronger.’ Nonetheless, appointments are still a point of concern. ‘We’re excited a large portion of Obama’s appointments are women of colour,’ said Ms. Executive Editor Kathy Spillar. ‘But his appointments are one area in which he could improve. He has appointed some outstanding women, but only 32 per cent of his top appointments, thus far, are women.’ Still pending with congressional passage far from assured: the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act. It has passed the House but is blocked in the Senate. Not even introduced this year: a bill to strengthen enforcement of Title VII,
the law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on sex, race, religion or national origin. ‘We want them both,’ said Smeal. ‘People think these problems are solved but we know they aren’t.’ ‘What we’re doing now is reversing the retrograde positions of the Bush presidency but we also must go forward,’ she said. As we do, there are special moments, such as one Tuesday, when Michelle Obama joined Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi and others in dedicating the Sojourner Truth statue in the Capitol. That is another remarkable sign of the times. Peggy Simpson worked 17 years for the Associated Press, in Texas and Washington, DC; covered economics and politics for the Hearst Newspapers, served as Washington bureau chief for Ms. magazine and reported on Eastern Europe’s transition from communism to a democratic market economy, as a freelancer during the 1990s. She has taught at Indiana University, George Washington University and at the American Studies Center at Warsaw University. She currently is a freelance writer in Washington. This article reprinted with the kind permission of the Women’s Media Centre, womensmediacenter.com
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Members of Congress, joined by First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, unveil a bust by sculptor Artis Lane of Sojourner Truth. The bust is the first sculpture to honour an African-American woman in the US Capitol. Photo courtesy Nancy Pelosi, www.flickr.com/people/speakerpelosi 20
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INTERNATIONAL TOPIC
Higher education for the public good NTEU National President, Carolyn Allport, attended UNESCO’s World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE) 2009.
T
hose attending the WCHE in Paris this July recognised that higher education continues to serve society through generating global knowledge to respond to the critical issues of our time. In particular the UNESCO delegates highlighted ‘food security, climate change, water management, intercultural dialogue, renewable energy and public health’. In addition, there were many who spoke strongly to the needs of those living and working in Africa, especially those affected by HIV, war, starvation and disease. Among those who spoke in the plenary panels was the VicePresident of Education International, Irene Duncan Adanusa, herself a proud education leader from Ghana. In her presentation, she spoke passionately about the importance of academic and higher education staff being at the heart of the public mission of higher education and argued that ‘no institution or system can be successful without a talented and committed professoriate’. Plenary debates focused on how those of us in higher education could bring our capacities to the task of addressing pressing global challenges. Most of the work was undertaken in medium size discussion groups of around 30-40 which resulted in opening up dialogue across countries and languages. The issues discussed came from UNESCO regional meetings across the world, and thus there was a huge diversity in terms of defining the role of higher education.
A decade of change In 1998, UNESCO held its first conference on higher education. At this time there was little discussion around the issues of globalisation and internationalisation. Australia had built up a significant export trade in international students over the decade while other countries were still focused on national and regional issues. Importantly, there were very few countries who charged student tuition fees, especially in Europe and the UK. Education was deemed a public good, rather than a commercial business or a private good. Australia signed the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) in 1995, although it was not until the new decade that these issues began to permeate into education. A decade later, everything had changed. Higher education was becoming transformed by international and global factors. Many countries had moved away from their national and regional identities with universities building relationships across national boundaries and in a number of cases operating student programs in other countries. They also become highly commercialised. Nonetheless, UNESCO retained its commitment to
education as a public good, where governments hold a primary responsibility for ensuring the viability of higher education. Australia was seen as being highly commercial in approach, based on its use of market mechanisms. The Latin-American and Caribbean Regional reports were highly critical of Australia’s position in using the GATS provisions to secure commercial education opportunities in other countries.
Challenges to higher education The Conference used three overarching sub-themes to capture the particular changes in higher education: • Internationalisation, regionalisation, and globalisation. • Equity, access and quality. • Learning, research and innovation. Delegates were asked to also think through the opportunities and challenges that might arise within these three key themes. These include the respective roles of government and the private sector, developing new models for teaching and research, the future of ICT and open distance learning initiatives, alongside the implications of funding and investment and effective governance and management. Perhaps one of the most interesting attendees was the Chinese Minister for Education who spoke strongly about the importance of changes in his own country. Last year some six million students enrolled in Chinese universities, and it is one of fastest growing educational systems. On the same panel discussion was the Chairperson of the European Student’s Union, Ligia Deca, who reminded us all that ‘everyone has the right to be a student based on their ability to learn, not to pay’. These issues of who will pay for higher education were at the centre of the debates in Paris. For the first time there were a number of delegates who came from private educational organisations, and there was a delicate balance which needed to be established in order that the concept of education as a public good (and thus not a private good) could be maintained. It will be interesting to see what might occur at the next conference in another ten years. In the meantime, we must continue to remind ourselves that education has an enormous capacity to change everyone’s life. But governments also have a financial responsibility to stimulate and encourage those who for many reasons have never had the chance to change their world. For more information visit www.unesco.org/en/wche2009 vol.17, September 2008
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INTERNATIONAL
Women in higher education
News from around the globe Sourced from University World News, the free international higher education e-news service, available at www.universityworldnews.com.
CANADA
EGYPT
M
ore than a century after the first public university opened its doors to both sexes, Egypt has named its first woman university president. In June, Hind Hanafy was appointed by President Hosni Mubarak as head of Alexandria University. Hanafi, a 57-year-old paediatrician, was previously Vice-President of postgraduate studies and research at the same university. ‘My selection to be the president of this prestigious university shows that Egyptian women are going ahead with establishing themselves firmly in all fields,’ an elated Hanafi said on her appointment. ‘The political leadership in Egypt is endeavouring for the empowerment of women as reflected in recent steps taken to utilise women’s potential’. In 2007, Egypt appointed its first female judges. Years earlier, this Arab country created the National Council for Women, a government agency headed by First Lady Suzanne Mubarak. Egypt was the first Arab country to name female ambassadors, government ministers and MPs. The Egyptian Parliament is debating a bill to allocate seats for women in both houses. The appointment of Hanafi was praised by the National Council for Women as a new gain for Egyptian women. Hanafi, a member of several children’s welfare associations, was the Deputy Dean of the Alexandria University Medical School from 2003 until September 2006. She became a paediatrics professor at the same medical school in January 1995. There are five women deans at Alexandria University. From a report in University World News by Ashraf Khaled ‘First female vice-chancellor appointed’, 14 June 2009 22
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vol.17, September 2009
A
group of 21 Inuit women each graduated with a masters in education degree in a ceremony last week in Iqaluit, 2,000 kilometres north of the university that awarded them their diploma. Most of the women were mature students who had already been working as educators in their communities and were able to study without leaving the Arctic. They could do this through an innovative partnership between the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia on Canada’s east coast, and Arctic College and the Nunavut Department of Education in the far north. The programme brought UPEI professors to Iqaluit, located on the south shore of Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. There they taught courses that had been adapted to the culture and needs of the territory residents. In Iqaluit, as well as the Nunavut hamlet of Rankin Inlet, which hugs the northwest shore of Hudson’s Bay, the students were offered a combination of online and face-to-face courses. It was the first graduate degree programme to be offered in the territory. ‘A number of other Canadian universities have programmes that allow northern and First Nations students to study at the university level in their own communities, but this is the first programme at the graduate level,’ said Paul Davidson, President of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, who was on hand for the ceremony. Davidson called the women’s accomplishments ‘remarkable’. From a report in University World News, ‘Arctic graduates far from campus’, 5 July 2009
INTERNATIONAL
AFRICA
M
embers of the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (Inwes) met in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire in April to discuss setting up an African regional network. Delegates from 12 African countries attended the ‘What role for women engineers and scientists in the developing Africa’ conference organised by CIFISATS, Côte d’Ivoire’s society of women engineers and scientists. In his speech opening the conference, Laurent Dona-Fologo, President of Côte d’Ivoire’s Economic and Social Council, said historically, because of men’s frequently enforced absence in the Sahel, women had taken charge. This was even more the case now in a world ‘deregulated’ through globalisation, Dona-Fologo said, and Africa must today constitute the alternative and propose ways for its own development with all its natural strength.
UK
W
omen outperform men in almost every single aspect of higher education, according to research published in The Independent. The number of women at university began to exceed the number of men for the first time 16 years ago. A new study by the Higher Education Policy Institute, an independent university think-tank, found that women are more likely to get a good degree pass and less likely to drop out. For good measure, the Government’s attempts to widen university participation among disadvantaged groups also appear to have struck more of a chord with women than men. There are more girls who were entitled to free meals at school going on to higher education than boys. In virtually every ethnic group, too, including Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities, where religion or culture may have led to some families downplaying the importance of education to women, more women than men go to university.
Inwes is an NGO with links to UNESCO, and supports women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by strengthening capacity of individuals, organisations and corporations through professional development. The network’s objective is to achieve the fourth United Nations’ millennium development goal to ‘promote gender equality and work towards the education of girls and women in all nations, contribute to economic and social development of developing countries through participation of women in the sciences and mathematics, to reach a critical mass of women in them worldwide; and to respond to the need for human resources and capacity building’. It has been organising international conferences for women engineers and scientists for 25 years, and workshops such as the 2004 leadership workshop in Nairobi by African Women in Science and Engineering supported by UNESCO and the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP). From a report by Abidjan.net, via University World News, ‘Women scientists discuss new network’, 3 May 2009
The report also shows that women outnumber men on most courses – including law and medicine courses – which ultimately lead to high paid employment. Only in technology, physical science, architecture, maths, computer sciences and engineering are women outnumbered by men. Despite this, women are still likely to earn a lower wage than men on leaving university. One of the reasons the report cites for this is their greater number on courses leading to jobs in teaching or the creative arts. Women were more altruistic and valued their job environment more, the report found. They were less career driven or financially motivated. Researchers asked whether the growing gender gap mattered, and cited evidence from the Government to the Commons select committee monitoring education which stated: ‘We are increasingly concerned about male participation.’ However, it added that while recognising ‘sex inequality is clearly an issue’ it did not want its remarks to imply a policy to reduce the number of women enrolling for higher education courses. From a report in The Independent, via University World News, ‘Female students beating men at almost everything’, 7 June 2009 vol.17, September 2009
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HUMAN RIGHTS
Support for jailed Colombian unionist Linda Seaborn, University of Tasmania
A
t the request of the Women’s Action Committee, the NTEU recently wrote to the Government of Colombia to request the release of fellow unionist, Liliany Obando.
Liliany was arrested after the farm workers’ union, FENSUAGRO, released her report about the more than 1,500 of their union members who have been murdered in anti-union attacks. She was accused of ‘rebellion’ and ‘providing funding to a terrorist group’ after it was alleged that files relating to her were found on the computer of killed FARC-EP leader Raúl Reyes. These files were examined by the Colombian police and subsequently by INTERPOL. INTERPOL’s conclusion was that they could not authenticate the sources of the documents on the 120x180 24/8/06 13:02 Page 2 computers and that
the investigative procedures by Colombian authorities ‘did not conform to internationally recognised principles’. NTEU has expressed concern at Ms Obando’s imprisonment and called for her constitutional right to home detention (as a single mother and head of her household) to be upheld. NTEU has requested that: • Liliany Obando is immediately and unconditionally released from prison and that all charges against her are rescinded. • The ‘farc-politica’ process as well as any dubious investigation linked to the Reyes computers be terminated. • All political prisoners held in Colombian prisons be released. NTEU has also brought this to the attention of Education International for consideration as part of their human rights urgent action appeals campaign. For more information visit www.freeliliany.net
194 million children between the age of 5 – 14 years work rather than attend school.* *Source ILO
Is it fair? MAKE LIFE FAIR EVERYWHERE, BECOME A GLOBAL JUSTICE PARTNER.
Union Aid Abroad APHEDA The overseas humanitarian aid agency of the ACTU
Call 1800 888 674 or visit www.apheda.org.au 24
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NATIONAL TERTIARY EDUCATION UNION – MEMBERSHIP FORM
Respect at work is‌
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d a o l k r wo Everyone deserves respect at work.
To find our more about how collective bargaining can increase respect at work visit:
www.universitybargaining.com.au