Griffith University staff who are members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) will be taking industrial action in the coming months.
Industrial action may look like strikes, refusal to perform all normal work duties and refusal to use some of the university’s electronic systems. For students this might mean some classes might be cancelled or some tech or resource bookings are denied or delayed.
This is happening because Griffith University management and the NTEU have not agreed to a new enterprise agreement outlining the working conditions for staff at the university.
The enterprise agreement lapsed on the 30th of June 2025 and there have been 9 rounds of enterprise bargaining between the NTEU and Griffith management since.
Both Griffith and the NTEU have published their log of claims which outlines what each party wants included in the new agreement.
Griffith University has refused the NTEU’s demands for a 20% pay raise for all staff over the duration of the agreement, a provision protecting staff from the harmful impacts of artificial intelligence and 15 days of paid reproductive health leave.
The NTEU is also demanding for improved job security for casual and fixed term staff, which is yet to be formally responded to by the university. Securing this claim is vital as many academics who teach tutorials and workshops are on casual contracts without the insurance that they will be hired again the following trimester.
A comparison of the 2024 and 2025 annual budgets shows a cut of 428.6 full-time equivalent positions (9.5% reduction in staffing), likely the result of recent university restructures.
In an email to union members, the NTEU said that “management have also flagged their ambitions to increase student numbers whilst at the same time avoiding increasing staffing levels to teach and support the expanding student cohort”.
As students we want to feel supported by our university to pursue a higher education, but that means our teachers must feel supported to teach us.
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