On 18 January, the NTEU wrote to Swinburne management following news that staff would no longer have free access to the Hawthorn Aquatic Centre. Since then, a backlash by staff has forced a reversal of sorts. On 6 February, management confirmed that they would revisit the question and would offer staff access to the Aquatic Centre for a trial period of fourteen weeks (13 February to 22 May).
That the decision to end staff access to the Aquatic Centre came within a month of forcing the Childcare Co-Op to end their nearly fifty year association with Swinburne, tells us that the calculators are out, and the knives are at the ready. While that may be the case, the reversal of this bad decision demonstrates the power of collectives voices and our capacity to push against the tide. If you haven't already registered for the Aquatic Centre you'll need to do so online. We urge everyone to register, take your togs to work and help us to save staff access to this resource.
[10 Feb Update: we have had reports that the Hawthorn Aquatic Centre has not been informed of management's proposed trial. We are meeting with them next week and will report back.]