The university has decided to bypass the NTEU and put a new agreement straight to a staff vote.

The union has responded with threats to take the university to the Fair Work Commission for failing to bargain in good faith.

"University management have clearly attempted to exclude us from bargaining," said NTEU bargaining team member Clark Holloway.

Negotiations over numerous issues, including moves to create a separate leave entitlement for domestic violence victims, have been going on for more than a year.

The UOW-proposed agreement, which the union claims contains an unsatisfactory pay rise, now relies on a majority vote from general staff members to be approved.

During the previous round of negotiations the university applied the same tactic and was successful in securing a yes vote from the majority of its staff.

The last round of protracted bargaining between the unions and UOW spanned two years.

The other union representing general staff, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), has agreed to the conditions offered by management but the NTEU wanted to remain at the bargaining table.

UOW chief administrative officer Melva Crouch said the majority of the agreement was finalised with the unions before mid-December.

"However, discussions were still being held on the salary offer. We put a revised offer to both unions prior to Christmas," she said.

"The CPSU responded, however the NTEU has not done so, despite repeated requests."

The union refuted these claims.

According to Mr Holloway, the bargaining team met with management on December 15 and made plans to continue bargaining on December 22.

However on December 19, NTEU branch organiser Martin Cubby was called in to a meeting and was given a revised offer from management.

Mr Holloway said NTEU legal representatives registered the union's objections to the offer in a letter to Vice-Chancellor Paul Wellings which Prof Wellings responded to.

UOW general staff have received an email advising them a proposed enterprise agreement was available to be viewed online and that voting would close on Wednesday, January 28.

"We wanted domestic violence leave to be made separate leave from sick leave so that victims of domestic violence won't have sick leave entitlements deducted, but in the agreement it's been rolled into one," Mr Holloway said.

"It seems they're trying to push this through while everyone is on annual leave."

The university said it was unable to comment at this stage.