Isn't this an example of sectarianism? [...] "The trade unions covering Australian universities, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) and the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), have enforced the Labor government’s pro-business assault since it took office in 2007." [...] "While the NTEU claims to oppose the UWS cuts, and Keen’s victimisation" [...] "Defeating the cuts at UWS, and other universities, will require the development of an independent and unified movement, ***in direct opposition to the CPSU and NTEU***, of staff and students." [...]
If you were an average member of one of these trade unions, how would you be likely to see a "socialist" call for ***direct opposition*** to your trade union? Isn't this an example of Trotskyist sectarianism? On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 7:49 AM, Louis Proyect <[email protected]> wrote: > http://wsws.org/en/articles/2013/01/29/keen-j29.html > University of Western Sydney victimises Professor Steve Keen > By Mark Church > 29 January 2013 > > The University of Western Sydney has laid “serious misconduct” charges > against economics professor Steve Keen, a well-known academic, who is > regularly interviewed on radio and television, as a means of > intimidating staff and student opponents of its sweeping course closures > and retrenchments. > > Late last year, after classes had ended for the term, and just as > students were preparing for exams, UWS management began to reveal, in > piecemeal fashion, closures of courses, as well as more than 50 academic > redundancies. The economics degree is being scrapped, together with > courses in Arabic, Italian and Spanish languages, writing, performance > and animation. > > Through cuts to departmental budgets, UWS is also eliminating academic > jobs via retirements, resignations and unfilled vacancies. In law, for > example, 12 positions will be empty, out of about 40. Many casual > lecturers will lose their jobs or have their hours slashed, and the > teaching workloads of those who remain are being increased substantially. > > This year, students will face larger classes, less face-to-face learning > and seriously reduced course options. The cuts come on top of a decision > to close the Student Learning Unit, which assists the university’s many > students from working class, low-income and non-English speaking > backgrounds. > > Professor Keen, in an attempt to alert his students to the cuts, posted > a notice on the Behavioural Finance web site, informing them that he > would give them extra time to submit assignments, and would not fail any > of them in their exams, since UWS would not be offering the subject again. > > University management immediately instituted disciplinary action against > the high profile professor, and cut off his capacity to communicate with > his students. Soon after, its response escalated to laying “serious > misconduct” charges, which are usually reserved for offences such as > sexual assault or corruption, and can lead to dismissal. In addition, he > was ordered to keep the matter confidential and to refrain from > contacting students. > > UWS has pursued the case, despite the fact that Keen last month applied > for a voluntary redundancy. It has now instituted proceedings in the New > South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), accusing > him of “corrupting” academic standards. These are unmistakeable signals > that UWS management has decided to use Keen’s case to send a threatening > message to all staff and students regarding any opposition to course > closures and job cuts. > > By choosing to move against an internationally-known academic, the > university is seeking to establish a precedent that can be used against > others. Moreover, other universities will be watching closely, with a > view to carrying out similar measures to silence opposition to the wave > of closures and redundancies sweeping tertiary education. In the past 18 > months alone, cuts have been implemented at Sydney, Macquarie, NSW, > Bond, Victoria and La Trobe universities, as well as the Australian > National University. > > Under Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s “education revolution”, total > tertiary enrolments have been increased, particularly in > business-related courses, but real funding per student has dropped, > placing intense pressure on already chronically-underfunded public > universities. Institutions have been compelled to undercut each other to > secure enrolments, especially in courses that attract the highest > commercial demand, because their funding now depends on the number of > students they enrol. Any fall-off in enrolments in less lucrative areas, > such as humanities and languages, is being met by the shut down of > entire departments. > > At UWS, management has even resorted to trying to boost enrolments by > providing all new students with an Apple iPad, supposedly to encourage > on-line learning, and offering existing students $50 to re-enrol, > ostensibly to help defray the cost of books. > > While it trumpets the fact that overall tertiary enrolments are > increasing, the government’s underlying agenda is the restructuring of > education to satisfy the demands of the corporate elite for specific > business-oriented courses, lower levels of public financing and more > compliant graduates. > > The trade unions covering Australian universities, the Community and > Public Sector Union (CPSU) and the National Tertiary Education Union > (NTEU), have enforced the Labor government’s pro-business assault since > it took office in 2007. Having backed Labor’s election, claiming it > would inaugurate a new era for higher education, the unions have > suppressed the resistance of university employees to the resulting > casualisation, cost-cutting and undermining of conditions. > Union-sponsored enterprise agreements have given universities greater > “flexibility” to erode full-time employment. Today, by the NTEU’s own > estimate, of the 200,000 employees of public universities, only 68,000 > have continuing employment, while 45,000 are on fixed-term contracts, > and 86,000 are “regular casuals”. > > While the NTEU claims to oppose the UWS cuts, and Keen’s victimisation, > it has tried to keep staff and students in the dark and isolate > departments from each other. At the same time it is appealing to > management to negotiate, and to utilise the union’s services to achieve > its required savings. > > The union’s slogan has become: “Let us be part of the solution.” Union > members in individual schools have been urged to become involved in > “working groups” to propose ways to minimise the damage caused by the > cuts. In a November 28 branch newsletter, the NTEU listed 11 departments > and schools where cuts had been announced, and bragged that its “working > groups” were working to reduce the impact, including by suggesting > alternative cost-cutting measures. > > The newsletter declared: “We all want to be part of a productive, open > dialogue that genuinely explores how we can achieve change that meets > the shared objectives of staff, students and the community.” In other > words, the union has become the open instrument of both the Labor > government and UWS management for imposing the cuts. > > At the same time, the NTEU has sought to divert attention from the > Gillard government’s role by blaming the cuts on the university’s > “mismanagement”. The NTEU’s efforts have been aided and abetted by the > Greens, who have propped up the minority Gillard government since 2010. > Senator Lee Rhiannon last year moved a Senate motion criticising UWS > management, while presenting the cuts as a supposedly unintended > consequence of Labor’s demand-driven funding regime. > > The pseudo “left” groups have lined up behind this diversion. In an > article on the UWS cuts, the Socialist Alliance’s Green Left Weekly > failed to even mention the Labor government. Instead, it promoted the > NTEU’s response and claimed that the cuts resulted from a misallocation > of resources by UWS, not a “funding problem”. > > Defeating the cuts at UWS, and other universities, will require the > development of an independent and unified movement, in direct opposition > to the CPSU and NTEU, of staff and students. Such a movement must launch > a political struggle, across all tertiary institutions, and fight for > support among all those teachers, parents, students and workers who > oppose the Labor government’s offensive against public education. This > requires a socialist perspective, aimed at the complete reorganisation > of economic and social life for the benefit of all, not just the wealthy > elite, including the provision of free, high-quality education, at every > level, as a basic social right for young people. > > The author also recommends: > > Australia: Students and staff protest University of Western Sydney cuts > [22 November 2012] > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org [email protected]
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