Australian National University union members are gearing up for industrial action over what it says is a "disrespectful" pay offer.
University management offered a pay increase of 16 per cent over five years to June 30, 2026.
The offer is composed of a 3.5 per cent administrative pay rise given to staff in February this year, followed by an increase of 0.5 per cent, 5 per cent, 4 per cent and 3 per cent in successive years to June 2026.
Staff would also get a cash payment of up to $1250 when the new agreement comes into force.
National Tertiary Education Union ANU branch president Millan Pintos-Lopez said the offer was not adequate to keep up with the cost of living and was behind salaries offered in the other Group of Eight universities.
"To get this pay offer was just a slap in the face," Mr Pintos-Lopez said.
"Every opportunity that we get, we let the world know that we're the national university and that we are one of the best in the world. Yet when it comes to pay, for some reason ANU management is comfortable being among the worst in the sector."
ANU chief people officer Kate Witenden said the proposal was a very competitive offer in the sector and management was confident of reaching agreement "very soon".
"Negotiations continue to be positive and respectful. At today's meeting, we had very productive conversations on job security and change management," Ms Witenden said.
"We have already made good progress regarding workplace flexibility, workloads, and leave provisions. In many clauses within the agreement all parties are aligned on principles and the next steps are to finalise the details of these clauses."
Staff at the university are currently voting in ballot to take protected industrial, which closes on Friday afternoon.
Mr Pintos-Lopez said potential industrial action could include strikes and indefinite strikes from late July.
"I just don't think that this adequately ... keeps up with the cost of living in Australia. And to be frank, management and the senior managers of the ANU know that and it's disrespectful, that they're not taking that into account when they're providing us with a pay offer," he said.
"Unless the pay offer is revised, I'm confident that a strike at ANU is certain."
He said some progress was being made on some of the union's log of claims since bargaining began in mid-2022.
The union called for a 15 per cent pay rise over three years or the consumer price index plus 1.5 per cent, whichever was greater, in its log of claims.
ANU staff voted to defer pay rises that were due under the previous agreement in 2020 and 2021 as part of the university's COVID-19 recovery strategy. The university also cut 467 jobs, with the intention of hiring up to 145 new people.
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