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Sydney defiant in face of strike action
The university says it needs to maintain financial responisbility. By Aileen Macalintal
the University of Sydney has vowed that recent strike action will have no impact on its pay negotiations with staff.
Over 800 students, unionists and staff turned up to a lunchtime rally in the first week of classes. Protesters picketed the seven entrances to the main campus.
National Tertiary Education Union branch president Michael Thomson said NTEU members were fed up after months of failed negotiations.
“ The campus itself was very quiet – the noisiest place was on the picket line with chants of‘ One struggle, one fight. Staff and students out to strike,’” Thomson said. The large turnout at the university shows how fierce the determination of staff is to fight fairly in the current collective agreement negotiations, he said.
NTEU assistant national secretary Matt McGowan said that Sydney University management was attempting to use the
From left: Anne Gardner( CPSU / PSA general secretary NSW), Grant Wheeler( CPSU Sydney University branch president), Michael Thomson( NTEU Sydney University branch president), Matt McGowan( NTEU national assistant secretary), Senator Doug Cameron, David Pink( Sydney University SRC president), Alma Torlakovic( NTEU Sydney University delegate), Senator Lee Rhiannon, Genevieve Kelly( NTEU NSW division secretary)
negotiations as a means of cutting wages and conditions and sidelining the union.“ Sydney University management is obviously wanting to position itself for a possible Coalition government when it should be defending its staff and the university sector more generally,” McGowan said.
A University of Sydney spokesman said the university had already made concessions and that while staff deserved a pay rise, the university needed to be financially responsible.
“ The unions were perfectly entitled to protest, but their relatively small numbers included a number of people from outside the university linked to groups such as Occupy Sydney. Their protest will have no impact on the university’ s bargaining position,” the spokesman said.
“ The university recognises that our staff do deserve a pay increase, but it can only be a pay increase which is financially responsible and will not lead to the university having to increase revenue by enrolling many more students or putting off long overdue improvements to buildings
10 | March 2013