Sydney University 2.1% staff pay rise ‘well under inflation’
Image: NTEU organised strike for staff rights at University of Sydney in May. Photo: Facebook
By ERIN MODARO
The University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott told university staff that they will receive a 2.1% pay increase and a one-off $1000 payment. The pay rise comes at the end of Sydney University’s enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA), and has been described as an interim measure while a new EBA is negotiated.
The University of Sydney came under fire by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) earlier in the year in a protest organised by the union to demand improved working standards for staff, including a wage increase and an “end to job insecurity and exploitative casual work.”
After the protest, a 2021 annual report revealed that Sydney University raked in a $1 billion surplus for the year, marking a significant rise from $106.6 million made in 2020.
President of the NTEU Sydney University Branch Nick Riemer said in a statement to City Hub that the pay rise is “well under inflation.”
“With an enormous surplus of $1.04 billion, there’s simply no excuse for university management to be denying their staff a real pay rise.”
.@Sydney_Uni will have to do a lot better than 2.1% if they don’t want staff to go backwards. This pay offer follows 3 days of strikes. @NTEUnion members are determined to continue their campaign till we get the results we need – on pay & everything else. https://t.co/YnBwvknxZj
— Nick Riemer (@NickRiemer1) May 30, 2022