JCU agrees on 3% payrise JAMES Cook University staff will receive a 3 per cent pay rise for each of the next four years after management and the union reached in-principle agreement on Friday. JCU also committed to a decrease the proportion of casual academic teaching by 15 per cent over the life of the agreement. Government data shows that in 2012 JCU had 1962 full-time equivalent staff and 219 casuals. Robyn McGuiggan, who lead negotiations on behalf of the university, told the HES it was important that an agreement be signed ahead of a restructure expected in early 2014. It was only appropriate to know what the enterprise agreement was before any restructure was underway. It would be difficult to negotiate a restructure with the EBA still up in the air," Professor McGuiggan said. "Feedback from staff was they wanted a longer agreement to provide greater certainty about the terms and conditions that will govern their employment going forward given the current economic environment," Professor McGuiggan said. This was not JCU's preference, due to budgetary constraints and the impacts on JCU of the current financial uncertainty, however, as a sign of good faith, we have agreed to the four year agreement. Other inclusions in the EBA is a cap on directed workload activities of 1638 hours a year; the inclusion of teaching-only roles, the ability to "cash out" up to four weeks annual leave; up to five days additional cultural leave and the introduction of two paid days volunteering leave. A 2.6 per cent administrative payrise in June will be backdated to take into effect the 3 per cent agreement. Professor McGuiggan said with word from new education minister Christopher Pyne that the demand-driven system would be under review and no indication on whether the Labor government's "efficiency dividend" would be enacted, the impact on future budgets was uncertain. JCU is the fourth university to reach agreement in the current enterprising round following Edith Cowan and Central Queensland universities, which both offered a 4 per cent increase, and Charles Sturt which agreed to 2.9 per cent earlier this month.