University of Newcastle (UoN) staff are set to strike this week over unresolved pay and conditions, marking the latest chapter in a year-long dispute.
Members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) will step-up action – over 24 hours – at the uni’s NUspace, from 12.30pm, on Wednesday 18 March as part of ongoing negotiations.
Branch president and Associate Professor Terry Summers said the strike was focused on unresolved pay and equity issues, including superannuation for casual staff.
“It’s about enterprise bargaining, specifically that we haven’t been able to secure an agreement on wages and equity for staff,” he explained.
While acknowledging morale across the university was “very low”, Dr Summers stressed that it wasn’t the driving force behind the industrial action.
“There is evidence to suggest that is a really big problem, but it’s not what the strike is about,” he said.
Instead, the union is taking protected industrial action under the Fair Work Act to pressure the university to finalise an agreement after more than a year of negotiations.
“We’re doing this in order to achieve our aims in enterprise bargaining so that we can get a fair outcome,” Dr Summers said.
A key issue that will be raised is pay equity, particularly for casual staff.
“You can’t have two people doing the same job and getting paid different amounts of money for it,” Dr Summers told the Newcastle Weekly.
“That just has to be fixed.”
Dr Summers described the union’s proposed pay deal as “reasonable”, noting it aligns with outcomes across the broader university sector.
Despite the disruption, he said industrial action was not taken lightly.
“My members don’t enjoy taking these kinds of steps,” he admitted.
“We lose money… and it does affect students.
“But, when you get pushed so far and you’ve got no other levers to pull, unfortunately it becomes the last resort.”
Although students may experience some disruption during the strike, the union maintains that action is necessary to reach a resolution.
Beyond the bargaining wrangle, broader concerns about recent changes at the university remain, too.
Dr Summers targeted the introduction of a new academic calendar.
“In my view, it was a mistake,” he said.
“There was a lot of opposition to it and a lot of feedback from students and staff saying it wasn’t a great idea, but nonetheless it went ahead.”
Dr Summers said he trusts the uni’s leadership notices what’s occurring and works towards resolving the dispute.
“I hope the university takes this seriously,” he added.
Union members are expected to gather at NUspace, with organisers calling for strong staff turnout to demonstrate support.
The University of Newcastle will remain open and operational during the NTEU’s strike.
While most classes are expected to proceed as scheduled, students have been informed of the planned action and are being notified directly of any changes to their usual learning activities.
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