A strike has been planned for tomorrow at the University of Sydney (USyd). Members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) will be striking alongside USyd staff members on what will be the fourth day of strikes since May.
The staff are demanding for a pay rise above inflation, the end of casual work exploitation, improved job security, increased protections against overworking and preserving an academic’s right to conduct research.
President of USyd’s NTEU branch, Dr Nick Riemer has said that there isn’t “a good reason for management to refuse our proposals.”
“But the Vice-Chancellor, Mark Scott, and the Provost, Annamarie Jagose, have not agreed to the reasonable demands of staff,” Dr Riemer said.
“Over 74% of the teaching at the university is done by staff on precarious contracts. It’s high time university management stopped stalling, and committed to improving job-security and conditions for existing staff, to safeguarding the teaching-research nexus, and to creating new jobs for long-term casuals.”
“This is the least that a university that’s serious about students and research should be doing.”
Students Support Staff Strikes are encouraging students to join the strike tomorrow in solidarity to the university staff.
“Students should show up again in large numbers to stand with striking staff,” the Facebook post said.
“Students showed immense support for striking staff in semester 1. Hundreds signed petitions beforehand or voted on motions in their classes supporting the strikes, and hundreds joined the picket lines.”
Greens MP Jenny Leong with fellow Greens, Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Inner West Councillor Dylan Griffiths. Photo: Jenny Leong.Facebook
City Hub spoke with Greens MP for Newtown, Jenny Leong who voiced her support on the strike.
“The Greens stand in solidarity with Sydney Uni staff and NTEU members who are walking off the job this week for job security, workload protections, staff respect, and high quality higher education,” she said.
“It is an absolute disgrace that universities have been cutting staff wages and conditions, and the quality of education, while making massive profits.”
NTEU member and NTEU election candidate, Dylan Griffiths said that many of his casual employed colleagues are “striking for secure jobs.”
“My colleagues have estimated that 74% of staff are in insecure employment, casual and fixed term contracts,” he told City Hub.
“’I’m striking tomorrow because management is looking to water down conditions related to my job security and career progression, such as priority recruitment for current professional staff.”
