University of Sydney staff walk off

University of Sydney staff staged a 24-hour protected strike on Wednesday, September 2, as enterprise bargaining with management hardened around artificial intelligence, job security and workloads. The National Tertiary Education Union, or NTEU, said members at its University of Sydney branch walked off after talks stalled on what it called enforceable protections in the next enterprise agreement. (sydney.edu.au) The university told students on August 24 that some NTEU members would take industrial action and that almost all scheduled classes would move online, with some labs cancelled. The dispute has put AI alongside pay, casualisation and workload controls in a formal bargaining fight at one of Australia’s largest universities. (nsw.nteu.au) ### Why did staff walk out on September 2? The NTEU said on September 2 that members were striking for 24 hours because management had not shifted on “workload fairness, job security, disability rights, change management protections, professional staff conditions, and AI protections.” The union said it wanted those commitments written into the enterprise agreement rather than left to university policies. (sydney.edu.au) The University of Sydney said on August 24 that the industrial action was part of the union’s campaign relating to a new enterprise agreement. The university said campuses would remain open on September 2, but warned students they could encounter picket lines near entrances and that most classes would move online. (sydney.edu.au) ### What exactly is the fight over AI? NTEU officials have framed AI as a workplace change issue rather than only a teaching or technology issue. The union’s September 2 release said staff were seeking “AI protections for staff in the Agreement” and linked that demand to broader claims for consultation rights during organisational change. (nsw.nteu.au) Vince Caughley, secretary of the NTEU’s New South Wales division, said management was “rushing headlong into AI without the evidence, consultation or due diligence a change of that magnitude demands.” That language places AI in the same bargaining category as restructures, workloads and job security, with the union pressing for enforceable limits on unilateral rollout. (sydney.edu.au) ### What else is in the bargaining dispute? The union’s bargaining materials say members are also seeking stronger job security, safe workloads and fair pay in the next agreement. The NTEU bargaining page says members endorsed a log of claims and, at a meeting on June 18, backed a motion authorising industrial action including stoppages ranging from five minutes to 24 hours. (nsw.nteu.au) The current University of Sydney Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026 was approved in August 2023 by the Fair Work Commission, according to the agreement document. The union says that agreement expires in 2026 and that bargaining is underway for its replacement. ### How visible was the strike on campus? The university said students would need ID cards to enter buildings on September 2 and advised them not to try to force their way through any physical picket line. (nsw.nteu.au) It said the NTEU had directed members to keep pickets peaceful and orderly and focused on providing information. The NTEU said pickets began from 7 a.m. and that a rally was scheduled outside the Michael Spence Building on Eastern Avenue near City Road from 1 p.m., after a 12:40 p.m. press conference. (nsw.nteu.au) The union said speakers included Caughley, University of Sydney branch president Peter Chen, student president Grace Street and New South Wales lawmaker Jenny Leong. (sydney.edu.au) ### What happens next in the negotiations? The University of Sydney said on its staff intranet that it believed the union’s action was premature and that its bargaining position would change only through “constructive discussion and good faith bargaining,” not because of industrial action. The university’s public student notice and staff intranet updates indicate management is continuing to communicate operational changes while bargaining proceeds. (sydney.edu.au) The next formal milestone is a new enterprise agreement to replace the 2023-2026 deal. NTEU bargaining materials say members will ultimately decide whether to accept an agreement with management, leaving further protected action available if talks remain unresolved. (nsw.nteu.au) (intranet.sydney.edu.au) (nsw.nteu.au)