The 24-hour strike by the University of Sydney (USyd) staff members happened today, with National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members and students joining in solidarity for what is the fourth strike since May.
Currently, the staff have been in negotiations with USyd management for a new Enterprise Agreement, which is the contract that governs the conditions and pay. Since May, there had been three strikes so far, with a fifth one happening on the university’s Open Day, Saturday 27th August.
Union members formed picket lines at the university’s entrances and asked passing students to skip class and join in. Large numbers of students joined in solidarity, holding up posters and banners. City Hub spoke with students who participated in the strike.
“We’re striking for staff rights,” said 4th-year design student, Valerie C.
“For Gender Affirmation leave. They’re fighting to make the university give thirty days of Gender Affirmation leave per year. To allow trans people to take the time off work and pursue any kind of transitioning,” said 2nd-year compsci student, Ella Pash.
Students have voiced their support for the strikes. From left to right: Jordi Pardoel, Valerie C, Ella Pash and Alyssa Meli. Photo: Gemma Adams
“I think that there’s been a few cases today where the campaigning that we’ve done to get students to join the picket lines and not come to class in solidarity with stuff have paid off,” said social work masters student, Jordi Pardoel told City Hub.
“There were a few classes where hardly any students showed up and that gave the confidence for staff to come and join the picket lines and cancel their classes. When we stand with staff, it gives them more confidence and emboldens their fight.”
USyd postdoc Gender and Cultural Studies teacher and NTEU member, Grace Sharkey has been working at the university since 2014, when she started her PhD. She told City Hub that she was for job security, work sustainability and appropriate pay.
“When I started, I was a casual. I have both casual contracts; part-time contracts and I have one day a week that is continuing. It changes all the time,” Sharkey said.“I want appropriate pay for marking. At the moment we’re paid to mark an essay in about fifteen minutes. This means that either we’re only able to skim an essay or we have to work way over our allotted time in order to give students appropriate feedback.”
USyd staff members striking. Photo: Gemma Adams
While she had luckily secured a full-time contract with the university, Industry and Community Project Units, Gender and Cultural Studies Lecturer, Jessica Kean’s motivation for the strike was to support her casual co-workers.
“My main motivation and the thing that will keep me coming back out to the pickets is standing in solidarity with my casual colleagues,” Kean told the City Hub.
“One of my jobs, I lecture in and I often have tutors who work with me and I know that they’re not being paid fairly for the work that they do and I’m sick of having to choose between organising meetings that I know that we need for the teaching team to do its job properly but knowing that those teachers will be coming to those meetings unpaid.”
“So as long as the casuals keep asking for better conditions, I’m gonna keep coming out here supporting them.”
