There is planned industrial action by some Vocational Education (VE) staff from Thursday 25 July until Wednesday 7 August, which may impact scheduled VE/TAFE classes.
RMIT is in the process of renegotiating its Vocational Education (VE) enterprise agreement – a legal document that outlines the terms and conditions of employment for our VE teaching staff.
The University has been advised that some VE teaching staff who are members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) may participate in work stoppages between Thursday 25 July and Wednesday 7 August.
To note, this action only relates to VE teachers in the College of Vocational Education (VE/TAFE classes). There is no impact to Higher Education (HE) classes.
While we anticipate that this action will not impact all of your classes between these dates, we unfortunately may not be able to tell you in advance if your classes scheduled during this time are affected, as we do not always know the impact of industrial action until it takes place.
There is no action that you need to take. Please assume that your classes will go ahead as normal, unless you’ve been told otherwise directly from your teacher, program coordinator, or updated on Canvas.
RMIT’s City, Bundoora and Brunswick campuses will remain open. Student services, such as our Libraries, Student Connect and Job Shop will remain open, and access to online Library resources will remain available. All further updates will be shared on this article.
If you do have classes that are affected, your program coordinator will let you know of alternative arrangements as soon as possible. Classes scheduled from Thursday 8 August will go ahead as timetabled.
RMIT's primary concern is the health and safety of its students, staff and other members of the public attending on campus during times of industrial action.
RMIT community members participating in industrial action on campus must do so in a way that does not impact the physical and mental safety of students, staff and the public.
Please listen to the direction and guidance of RMIT’s security staff. If you have any concerns, such as with access to buildings, please reach out to Campus Security.
We thank you for your understanding and flexibility during this time.
We are committed to continuing to bargain in good faith to get the right outcomes for our VE community, as we work hard to finalise our agreement.
We will let you know if we receive any further information and please be assured that we have plans in place to ensure minimal disruption to your learning.
If you have any questions about how this industrial action may impact your classes, please reach out to your program manager or coordinator.
No. This action is only for Vocational Education (VE) teachers, so only VE/TAFE classes may be impacted. There are no impacts to Higher Education (HE) classes.
Yes. RMIT’s City, Bundoora and Brunswick campuses will remain open and accessible, with our student services (Student Connect) and libraries remaining open to support you during this time.
If your VE teacher is an NTEU member and chooses to participate in industrial action and cancel a class, they will inform all students enrolled in the class via Canvas or email. Please continue to monitor Canvas and your student email inbox for information.
If your VE teacher is an NTEU member and chooses to participate in industrial action and reschedule a timed assessment or in class test, they will inform all students enrolled in the class via Canvas or email. Please continue to monitor Canvas and your student email inbox for information.
Yes, unless your VE teacher informs you that your class has been cancelled, you should assume your class will go ahead as planned.
In the event your class is cancelled due to your VE teacher participating in industrial action, your program coordinator will be in touch with students via Canvas or email with alternative arrangements for a rescheduled class.
In this situation, please contact your program coordinator via Canvas or email. They will make alternative arrangements.
Yes you can but you need to do so respectfully, aligning with RMIT’s values and the student charter and following directions from RMIT Campus Security.
RMIT's primary concern is the health and safety of its students, staff and other members of the public attending on campus during times of industrial action. RMIT community members participating in industrial action on campus must do so in a way that does not impact the physical and mental safety of students, staff and the public.
Yes all students are to submit all assessments on the Canvas published due date. If you have a timed assessment (in class test, etc), you should assume your class will go ahead as planned, unless your teacher informs you that your class has been cancelled. If you have questions, please contact your program coordinator via Canvas or email.
If you have any questions about course work or assessments and your teacher is unavailable, please contact your program coordinator via Canvas or email.
Students can continue to request extensions via the normal process. See the extensions page.
If your teacher is taking industrial action, there may be a delay in receiving your result until after the industrial action period. We apologies for this delay and thank you for your understanding.
Industrial action may occur while RMIT negotiates a new enterprise agreement for its VE staff. It’s important to note that action can only be taken by staff that are NTEU or AEU members, which represents a small cohort of our community.
If the NTEU or AEU plans further industrial action, students will be notified via student email and the student website. Please continue to check your RMIT student email and the student homepage regularly to stay informed.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.
