Employment Practice: Unions

The University of Newcastle formally recognises the right of staff members to join and be represented by unions in employment relations. This recognition is embedded in both the Academic Staff and Teachers Enterprise Agreement and the Professional Staff Enterprise Agreement that were in force during 2025.

  • Clause 7.5.4 of the University of Newcastle Academic Staff and Teachers Enterprise Agreement 2023 states:
    "The University recognises a staff member's right to be a member of and to be represented by a Union, and the contribution that the Union makes to employment relations within the University."

Read the Academic Staff and Teachers Enterprise Agreement 2023.

  • The agreement applies across academic staff covered by the enterprise agreement and provides additional practical support for union participation, including paid time release for union delegates, access to facilities and noticeboards, union contact information for new staff, and payroll deduction of union fees at a staff member's request.
  • The 2023 Enterprise Agreements were approved by the Fair Work Commission in September 2023 and remained in force throughout 2025. They were superseded by new Enterprise Agreements in August 2026 which retains these rights.

Additional Policies, Structures & Practices Supporting Union Recognition & Participation

  1. Staff Consultative Committee (SCC)
    • The University maintains a Staff Consultative Committee comprising University, union and staff representatives.
    • Under the 2023 Enterprise Agreements, the Committee generally meets every two months and considers matters arising from the agreements, including employment conditions, workload, casual employment, workplace change and policies affecting staff working conditions.
    • For professional staff, the Committee includes three NTEU representatives, three CPSU representatives and four University representatives. The University's public meeting record confirms that the Committee met in February and May 2025
  2. Professional Staff Enterprise Agreement
    • The University of Newcastle Professional Staff Enterprise Agreement 2023 covers professional staff and is binding on the University, the CPSU and the NTEU.
    • Clause 7.5.4 contains the same recognition of a staff member's right to be a union member and to be represented by a union, ensuring that formal union recognition extends beyond academic staff to professional, technical and administrative employees.
  3. Enterprise Bargaining
    • Union recognition also operates through enterprise bargaining. In 2025, the University held formal bargaining meetings with the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) and staff representatives as negotiations began for replacement enterprise agreements.
    • This bargaining process demonstrates that the NTEU and CPSU are recognised as formal negotiating parties in determining employment conditions for University staff.

Together, the enterprise agreements, union representation arrangements, consultative committee and bargaining processes provide formal and practical recognition of unions across the University's academic and professional workforce.