18 February 2016: High-achieving staff at the University of Canberra will be rewarded through a high-performance allowance introduced in the University's new Enterprise Agreement 2015-18, which will come into effect today.
This allowance will be awarded in addition to the indexed pay-increases introduced in the previous agreement. It is the first time that a link between pay and individual performance is implemented in an Enterprise Agreement in the Australian tertiary education sector.
This Agreement continues the University's innovation trend in the sector, following last year's announcement of another national first: the Employee Bonus Scheme, in which staff share in the growth and success of the institution based on its financial performance.
The new Agreement, which was approved by a majority of the University's employees and certified by the Fair Work Commission, features other important changes including:
- The creation of an 'education-focused' career path for academics, through new promotion opportunities
- Paid parental leave increase from 20 to 26 weeks, with paid partner leave also increasing from five to 10 days
- An improved focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment
- Employees' entitlement to access long service leave after seven years of continuous employment, instead of 10 years.
The Agreement supports the objectives of the University's strategic plan and maintains and improves the generous conditions of employment at the University.