Description
In the early days of the university professors, associate professors, senior lecturers and lecturers were covered by Technical Teachers' Association (TTA) which was affiliated with the NSW Teachers' Federation (while Technical officers, research lecturers, research assistants and demonstrators were covered by the Public Service Association or Professional Officers Association). An alteration of the rules at the 1952 AGM led to the formation of the University of Technology Branch of the Technical Teachers' Association. 1953 was the first year of operation of the new branch and members were very active especially with discussions of the conditions which should apply to university staff after the appointed day The Branch was represented on the Executive of TTA the same way as country branches, the basis being one representative for every 50 members or part thereof. (see Report on proposed Professional Staff Association, NSWUT by JFD Wood, 1952 [S1507/1]) In 1955 members of the Technical Teachers' Association - University Branch decided by ballot to form a new organisation, affiliated with the Teachers' Federation and which would be of equal status to the TTA. Officially that new branch, the New South Wales University of Technology Staff Association, came into operation as an organisation of the NSW Teachers' Federation from 1 January 1956. Once the university had become autonomous university staff now had a different employer than TTA members and they also felt that a university branch could give more attention to matters concerning university staff in particular. In November 1956 members of the staff association passed a motion at their AGM 'that the NSWUT Staff association affiliate with the Federal Council of Australian Universities Staff Associations' (FCUSAA). This had implications in the long run. When FCUSAA [which became the Federation of Australian University Staff Associations (FAUSA) from 1964] was seeking determination of academic salaries on a national level this meant that the UNSW Staff Association, in a unitary set-up, would have to forgo their affiliation with the Teacher's Federation and its right of access to the arbitration commission on salaries at state level. (Minutes of AGM FCUSAA 15-16 August 1961, XIV (b), p.14) In October 1963 a general meeting of the staff association established a committee to consider taking things a step further, i.e. ... to look into the whole question of the Association's relationship with the NSW Teachers Federation and the consequences of withdrawing from the Federation; and the relationship with the Federal Council of University Staff Associations [later FAUSA]. (University of New South Wales Staff Association, First Report on Relationships with the New South Wales Teachers Federation and with the Federation of Australian University Staff Associations, undated, p.1) A form of separation eventually took place in 1967. For its part, the Teachers Federation established a new category of associate membership for those members of the University Staff Association who wished to retain the advantages of dual membership. These included membership of the Health Society, access to trade discount service (University of New South Wales Staff Association, Newsletter No. 1, June 1967, p.1) and membership of the Teachers Club (University of New South Wales Staff Association, 'First Report...' etc., p.2). In brief, the Staff Association was a body which represented and acted for the teaching staff of the university. Its objects have been put as being '...to promote university education and research and further the interests f its members'. (ibid) It provided a forum for the discussion of matters of general interest to members and a means of expressing staff views. It elected a representative to the Council of the university, maintained an Education Committee which held regular meetings for the discussion of educational questions; and had an active Social Committee. (ibid) At its Second Session General Meeting in November 1976 the Association instructed the Executive to proceed, towards registration of an industrial union of university academic staff in NSW, the University Academic Staff Association of NSW (UASANSW). The meeting also resolved to form the University of New South Wales Division of the University Academic Staff Association of NSW. While it was necessary to be a member of the Staff Association to become a member of UASANSW, it was possible to belong to the Staff Association without being a member of UASANSW. (UNSW Staff Association Minutes, 4 November 1976, item 4 [S1507/3]) It was seen as essential that the Staff Association and the UNSW Division of UASANSW became as closely linked as possible and that as many staff association members as eligible would join the new union. A small number of members were ineligible to join UASANSW because they were already covered by other registered unions. It was pointed out to members of the Staff Association that their rights and status as members of the Association, and of their access to FAUSA, were not affected by the existence of UASANSW. (Annual Report of the Executive 1976 [S1507/3]) Most Staff Association members did join the new union. In the case of the UNSW Division of UASA the capitation fee per member was paid by the Staff Association so that there was no additional fee for membership of UASANSW (1977 Staff Association leaflet: 'Formation of University Staff Association NSW' by Dr Ian Somervaille). With the formation of the NTEU in 1993 the UNSW Staff Association became the UNSW Branch of the NTEU. The Branch held its inaugural Annual General Meeting on 22 November 1994. At the meeting it was moved under item 2 'That the assets and liabilities and any future Receipts of the UNSW Staff Association be transferred to the UNSW Branch of NTEU as from 22 November 1994. The University of New South Wales Branch of NTEU consisted of members of staff at all campuses of the university. The NTEU rules established that there was a sub-branch of the UNSW Branch of NTEU at ADFA. The rules also provided that a branch may set up sub-branches. The function of sub-branches was to deal with local campus problems, whereas the function of the branch was to deal with university-wide issues. The 1994 Annual Report of the Executive did mention that the Staff Association 'since time long ago used the name UNSW Staff Association and that the name strictly speaking belonged to a branch of the Academics Union of NSW, which was then a relatively inactive body.' (Newswatch No.7 November 1994) As from 1 January 1995, the Lecturers Association of the NSW teachers Federation made way for NTEU at St George and College of Fine Arts Campuses. Most of their members were expected to transfer to NTEU, UNSW Branch, by May 1995 sub-branches had been established at the St George campus and College of Fine Arts. (Newswatch, May 1995)
