Concerns over heavy workloads were among the issues raised at the first day of collective bargaining between the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) and the University of Otago yesterday.
Speaking before the meeting, TEU Otago University organiser Shaun Scott said academic staff at the university faced growing workloads, with pressure for more research and more reporting to the government cutting into time.
"We want manageable workloads for the good of our students and we also want workloads to be fair and manageable so we can spend time with friends, communities and family," he told the TEU's weekly bulletin.
Among the claims the union was making was that staff workloads should be allocated in an open, equitable, transparent and planned way.
Otago University director of human resources Kevin Seales said 26 proposals were put forward by staff yesterday, of which three related to workloads.
Speaking after the day's negotiations Mr Scott said both parties exchanged proposals yesterday and the negotiating process would begin in earnest in a fortnight, when it was expected the university would put forward a salary proposal.
