National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members at the University of Sydney (USyd) went on strike for 24 hours on September 2 as part of their industrial bargaining campaign for better working conditions and a 20% pay rise.
NTEU members are calling for protections from artificial intelligence (AI), equal superannuation contributions for casual workers, freedom of speech protections and an end to forced redundancies.
Nick Riemer, vice-president of the NTEU Usyd branch, told Green Left staff have been negotiating with management since April, but no progress has been made in securing important conditions.
“We want this university to be a fair employer and a quality educator of students,” Riemer said.
“Management wants a free reign to roll out AI and replace jobs without any constraints.
“They want to force workers to teach for hours and hours every week without proper time to do research or keep up with the discipline and they are refusing to roll back restrictions on free expression that they have introduced on campus.
“They are also refusing to introduce a no-forced-redundancy clause.”
Andrew Chuter, an NTEU member in the mathematics department and Socialist Alliance candidate in the NSW elections, said free speech is being severely limited on campus, particularly when talking about the genocide in Gaza.
He said management wants to turn the university into a “degree factory, not a genuine place of inquiry”.
The strike was strongly supported by students, with the Student Representative Council (SRC), University of Sydney Union and many student clubs and societies endorsing the strike, including the Political Economy Society, Sydney University Radio Group, Anthology Society, Dalyell Scholars Association, Philosophy, Politics and Economics Society, Grassroots, Socialist Alternative, Solidarity and Labor Left.
SRC collectives supported the strike, including the Women’s Collective, Queer Action Collective, Disabilities Collective, Autonomous Collective Against Racism, Education Action Group and Enviro Collective. The SRC organised a bake sale to raise funds for the NTEU strike fund and for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
SRC general secretary Vince Tafea told Green Left that students are supporting the strike because “staff working conditions are student learning conditions”. “It’s been amazing to see so many people care about the university, who know that it’s the teachers and professional staff that make it run.”
Riemer said the experience on the picket line has shown the strong support for workers’ demands. “Very few people are coming through [the picket line], quite a few are choosing to turn around once we explain to them why we are on strike and why we are picketing.”
Many of the pickets featured music, sing-a-longs and speeches expressing solidarity with workers.
After spending the morning on the picket lines, NTEU members, students and supporters marched to Eastern Avenue in the centre of campus for a rally, which showed the strong support for the union’s demands.
Chuter said the strike was inspiring because it asserts that it is workers who create value in society and “should have the power to make decisions about our work”.
“When we withdraw our work and the bosses can’t make a profit out of us, it shows the real power that we have.”