Dozens of staff have gone on strike at Federation University after enterprise agreement negotiations between university management and the union officials broke down.
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Members of the National Tertiary Education Union began a six-hour strike at 11am and Australian Workers' Union - Victorian Branch members went on strike for 24 hours.
Negotiations have been underway for the past 14 months with National Tertiary Education Union branch industrial organiser Colin Muir saying the two sides were "fairly close" but several issues remained outstanding.
"We have rejected the position we were offered and had no choice but to go back to our members and take action," Mr Muir said.
Outstanding issues include wages and conditions around due process including stripping back rights of appeal against disciplinary action, and performance management.
NTEU branch president Patrick O'Leary said the university wanted to make workers wait until 8pm before penalty rates kick in.
University vice chancellor and president Professor Helen Bartlett said the university's proposed pay offer would make Fed Uni staff among the highest paid university staff in the country.
"It's disappointing the unions have rejected a salary offer that would see our staff here in Ballarat earning more than their counterparts in some of the biggest universities in Australia," she said.
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