The University of Sydney campus will be shut down for the fifth and sixth days this year on Thursday and Friday during a strike by National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members.
The union is campaigning for better job-security, the protection of academic research, an end to exploitative casualisation and casual wage-theft, and a fair pay increase.
Significant disruption to the university’s operations is expected as a result of the industrial action, during which union members will picket campus entrances.
Previously scheduled graduation ceremonies Business and Architecture, Design and Planning and Business students have been cancelled.
The Student Centre and student union food venues will be closed, and a large range of classes, laboratories, meetings and other work will not go ahead.
University management have written to all staff and students recommending that they stay away from campus on the strike days.
“What’s the point of a campus if students and staff are told they shouldn’t go on to it and have to make do with unreliable online tuition?” said Dr Nick Riemer, the president of the NTEU branch at the university.
“”We’ve been negotiating with management for fifteen months, but they still want to attack our conditions.
“The fact we’ve been forced to strike again and that students are missing a fifth and sixth day of classes this year shows that the Vice Chancellor and Provost have lost control of the university.”
The current campaign is set to become the most protracted Enterprise Agreement negotiations at the university for many years.
“We will continue our industrial action as long as it takes to halt management’s attacks on our conditions and on the integrity of the university’s work,” Dr Riemer said.
NTEU NSW Secretary, Dr Damien Cahill said: “The union has been in negotiations with Sydney Uni management for well over a year.
“Although progress has been made, management continues to refuse the claims by uni staff for secure jobs, for casuals to be paid for all work performed, and for a fair pay rise.
“At the same time, management continue to want to erode key workload protections.
“The decision to lose pay by taking industrial action is never one taken lightly, but members have been left with little choice.
“It is in the hands of Sydney Uni management to avoid this industrial action by agreeing to the reasonable claims of university staff.”
