Industrial action planned at Sydney university

SYDNEY— University of Sydney members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in pursuit of a decent agreement with the university's administration.

An April 22 NTEU mass meeting discussed options for industrial action proposed by the local NTEU leadership. The vote for the option of 24-hour strikes was carried by 839 to 119 votes.

The main sticking points in the negotiations with the university administration are its proposal for teaching-only positions (which would rob these workers of any time for research); fixed-term employment contracts; the duration of the agreement and the university's salary increase offer of 4.5% a year.

The meeting voted to strike for 24 hours on April 30 and to meet again on May 5 to consider the next steps in the campaign.

From GLW issue 792