Ahead of joining the NTEU picket line at the University of Sydney staff strike this morning, Deputy Greens leader and Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that the upcoming Jobs and Skills Summit must address the job insecurity crisis in higher education.
Senator Faruqi said:
“There is a scourge of insecure, casualised work in higher education. University workers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
“If we want our universities to deliver the highest quality teaching, learning and research, we have to invest in staff, treat them fairly and stop their exploitation.
“The upcoming Jobs and Skills Summit is an opportunity for the government to hammer out its response to this crisis – and not a moment too soon. We need action on casual conversion, secure jobs, fair pay, wage theft and increased public funding for our universities.
“As a proud NTEU member and former university lecturer, I know first hand how working conditions on our campuses have deteriorated rapidly over the last few decades. This is shameful and unacceptable.
“Industrial action at Sydney has been ongoing for months. It’s utterly cooked that university workers have to sacrifice their time and wages to stand up for their basic rights at work — fair pay, decent conditions and a secure job. Solidarity!”