Australian university staff at ‘breaking point’ to walk off jobs in week long protest

Furious staff at Australia’s most prestigious universities will walk off the job in protest against job insecurity, unsafe workloads and poor pay.

University staff across Australia will protest for a week from Monday as academics, admin and support workers at “breaking point” gear up to fight job insecurity, unsafe workloads and poor pay.

In Victoria, thousands of staff at Monash University, the University of Melbourne, and Deakin University will walk off the job, culminating in a protest at Victorian Trades Hall.

Industrial action ahead of enterprise agreement negotiations will also occur at the University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, James Cook University, Federation University and Newcastle University.

As it stands, only three in 10 roles at universities are permanent positions, which National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) President Alison Barnes said had created a financially and emotionally toxic culture for staff.

She says staff are at “breaking point”.

“Workers across the sector are really furious and are at their wit’s end around what has happened across our sector,” she said.

“Despite teaching the same course for a decade, you still have that period over Christmas, where suddenly you won’t have any income. We get casuals ringing us in tears because they don’t know if their contracts will get renewed.

Melbourne University Campus in Carlton. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

“Things like getting a loan to buy a house, or planning for holiday can be hard but along with the economic insecurity, there’s also an indignity associated with that insecurity.”

Wage theft has also been rife in the sector.

A recent report released by the NTEU in February found staff across the sector were owed a collective $83.4 million.

This included teaching misclassification; in which a lower rate of pay has been given despite the kind of work performed, unrealistic time frames for marking which result in unpaid overtime, and universities not paying entitlements like superannuation, allowances and long service leave.

National Tertiary Education Union president Dr Alison Barnes says staff are at ‘breaking point’. Picture: Twitter

The University of Melbourne was found to be the worst culprit, with the university previously facing alleged underpayment claims in the Federal Court by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

As of February 10, 2023, the university states it has processed about $45m in back payments, following a review of how it paid staff primarily under the 2013 to 2018 enterprise agreements.

Dr Barnes says the implications of the undervaluing of academic and university staff ultimately undermine Australia’s “really high quality,” and globally respected institutions.

“You’re going to erode the pastoral care that students receive and erode the research capacity that help us deal with the economic, scientific and social challenges Australian society will face over the coming decades, like climate change,” she said.

“People can only give for so long.”

A week of industrial action will begin at universities across Australia on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ David Geraghty

However, there have been hard-earned wins at some universities. Decasualisation clauses at Western Sydney University, the University of Technology Sydney, and the Australian Catholic University are now in place.

In addition, 330 casual position will be converted into permanent roles at the University of Sydney in an announcement to be made on Monday.

However, Dr Barnes believes university staff are still suffering whiplash from the upheaval of Covid, and their “goodwill” is running out.

“It’s been a very difficult few years for the sector,” she said.

“Covid was extraordinary. You saw thousands of jobs being lost, universities were denied access to JobSeeker on three separate occasions and teaching was suddenly being moved online, which is very difficult.

“Universities run on the goodwill of staff and that goodwill is increasingly eroding.”