A group of higher education staff disappointed with proposed sector reforms will meet online on August 24 – the day federal parliament returns – in an act of unprotected industrial action.
Called the National University Staff Assembly and organised by a new organisation called the National Higher Education Action Network (NHEAN), the group will debate a number of issues and then vote on a motion. These include guaranteeing job security for university staff, converting staff employed on a casual basis to ongoing work, and financial support for students that ensures they do not exit university with a tax burden.
NHEAN states that unprotected industrial action will be “necessary as part of a vigorous campaign” to protect universities from ongoing and substantial job and funding cuts.
“Striking is the tried-and-true, principal mechanism for employees to achieve greater justice in their workplaces,” Dr Nick Riemer said, one of the assembly organisers.
“It is also recognised as a fundamental right. Reclaiming the ability to strike in a way that avoids the current obstacles to it is essential. This isn't something we can ask or petition government for: it's something we have to take,” he said.
“At NHEAN, we believe that a democratically organised and carefully planned national university strike is both politically possible and necessary. We have a plan for this, which we'll be presenting at the assembly. With careful preparation over time, we think we can overcome the constraints of existing industrial relations legislation and make strike action possible again outside the limits of enterprise agreement negotiations.”
The assembly is open to all university workers and is the first meeting of its kind to be held in Australia. So far, more than 400 university staff have indicated they will be attending.
Opposition to sector reforms has been communicated in petitions, published statements and open letters, and the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has commenced a lobbying campaign. However, “the NHEAN Assembly is the only large-scale, live public event being planned to defend university education and jobs”.
Some of the largest NTEU branches in the country have endorsed the assembly, as well as well known and high-performing universities such as the Universities of Melbourne, Sydney, Monash, RMIT, UTS and ANU. The event is also being supported by postgraduate and casuals’ associations.
The assembly will be held from 2.00pm-3.30pm on Monday August 24 via Zoom. For further information and comment, contact Nick Riemer on 0481 339 937 or email nick.riemer@sydney.edu.au.
Web: https://nhean.info Twitter: @NHEANetwork
Some of the most controversial higher education reforms proposed include heavily increased fees for humanities-related courses, a recent proposal to terminate the enrolment of individuals who fail up to half of their first-year subjects, and the struggle for casual tutors to gain ongoing work.