Seventy cars, 30 bicycles and 100 higher education workers, students and supporters protested outside the Liberal Party headquarters in Sydney on May 21, as part of a national day of action to save higher education jobs. This was the first public action called by the union since the COVID-19 pandemic closed universities to face-to-face teaching.
The action was co-organised by the National Tertiary Education Union NSW and the May 1 Movement, and supported by the University of Sydney Student’s Representative Council, the Sydney University Education Action Group and other student groups.
Cars and bikes festooned with posters and flags joined the convoy. The block was completely surrounded by protest cars, which were cheered on by protesters outside the HQ.
The federal government has taken unprecedented steps during the COVID-19 crisis to exclude higher education workers from income support under JobKeeper and its “rescue package” is abysmal. Thousands of casualised workers have lost jobs and more than 21,000 jobs are on the line.
