The University of Wollongong Branch of the National Tertiary Education (NTEU) will go on a two-hour strike today for better staff pay and working conditions. The Union has been negotiating for the last ten months with no action from the University on “chronic job insecurity”.
According to a media release from the UoW NTEU Branch, staff are demanding a fair pay rise and better job security. NTEU UoW Branch President Fiona Probyn-Rapsey said, “Despite our best efforts management is yet to accept that we need a plan to reduce the Casualisation of staff at our university. We also don’t have a fair pay offer that acknowledges the real impact of inflation on so many staff. Too many staff also continue to experience extreme overload in their hours of work.”
“Other university managements, including at UTS and Western Sydney University have engaged meaningfully with union claims and are settling on Enterprise Agreements with a secure jobs plan, fairer pay outcomes and better protections against unsafe workloads.”
97% of Branch members voted Yes for industrial action to secure the Union’s demands.
The strike will start at 8 am with a community assembly and a STOP WORK action by staff from 9 am to 11 am.
Professional staff member and member of the NTEU negotiating team at UOW, Ms Angela Cowan said “We’ve seen so many great staff leave our university due to the economic impacts throughout the COVID pandemic. It is time for our university management to restore trust with staff and come to the party on fair pay, secure jobs and safe workloads, for both Professional and Academic Staff.”
The UoW NTEU Branch plans to take further action over the upcoming months if the University does not meet the Union’s demands.
