Zoom bombing: Uni students devise strike fit for digital age

University students have ramped up industrial action to protest teaching conditions, creating new ways to picket their online classes.

University-goers are interrupting Zoom classes uninvited to disrupt other student's learning, as institutions around the country go on strike.

Students at Australia’s most prestigious university are crashing Zoom classes uninvited and causing a ruckus to have the tutorials cancelled, as institutions across the country ramp up industrial action for better teaching conditions. 

‘Zoom bombing’ or ‘Zoom picketing’ has been adopted as a strike tactic by students at the University of Sydney, and refers to students acquiring the login details of online tutorials or lectures and crashing classes unannounced. 

The unconventional protest method has been adopted as students support the National Tertiary Education Union’s call for industrial action supporting pay rises, better job security and improved workloads for university staff members.

University of Sydney SRC President Lauren Lancaster told The Oz her “very progressive” council had thrown their support behind the industrial action, as she believes the link between a teacher’s well being and a student’s well being are inextricable. 

“The NTEU branch at the University of Sydney have been carrying out a massive industrial campaign over the past 15 months over the university’s intransigence over the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement,” Lancaster said. 

“Our teacher’s teaching conditions are our learning conditions. The way our staff are treated has a direct bearing on our study experience, and their workplace needs to be fair and democratic.”

Lancaster said students had set up numerous physical pickets blocking various entry points across the university. But it was the digital pickets that were getting noticed. 

“Zoom bombing,” Lancaster said. “People are going to classes that are technically scab classes, and asking for them to be called off.

“The picket line isn’t just about coming (into university) in a physical sense any more.” 

University of Sydney Deputy Vice-Chancellor Annamarie Jagose said the university would not be altering its position in response to the industrial action, and condemned the actions of staff or students preventing other class members from learning or teaching.

“Agreement will only be reached through constructive discussions at the bargaining table, as has been the case for all the matters that have been finalised so far,” she said. 

“We fully support the right of our staff to engage in lawful industrial action but physically preventing staff and students from crossing picket lines when they wish to do so, and efforts to disrupt or cancel face-to-face or online classes of other staff and students, however, are not protected action. 

“The University of Sydney has some of the highest wages and best conditions of any university in Australia. We will again offer an Agreement that maintains and enhances our sector-leading conditions and supports excellence in both teaching and research, and will continue to engage in good faith to work through and resolve outstanding matters.”

University of Sydney staff went on strike for two days last week, while NTEU members at the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, James Cook Univer­sity and CQUniversity intend to strike for a half-day on Thursday.

Staff at the Australian Catholic University and the University of Tasmania also took industrial ­action in recent days.

“As a founding principle, we support staff and the right staff have to fight for better working conditions,” Tasmanian University Student Association (TUSA) President Sophie Crothers said. 

“We see how bad working conditions can affect the staff we interact with everyday. We as students rely on the casual staff, and believe they deserve job security and career development.”

Crothers said she was waiting to hear back from the NTEU before promoting the strike on the TUSA’s social media. 

NTEU National President Alison Barnes praised the work of students in supporting their staff members as the strike action continues. 

"Our members appreciate students' support for industrial action. They know staff working conditions are student learning conditions,” Barnes said.

"These strikes are about three fundamental issues - fair pay rises, more secure jobs and reasonable workloads.

"Our members have been left with no choice but to take industrial action because of managements’ refusal to listen to staff concerns. 

The strikes will continue “until members receive a fair outcome”, Barnes said.