National Tertiary Education Union members from Brisbane’s three major universities rallied in Queens Gardens on 8 October during a simultaneous half-day strike. After walking out at 11am, staff from the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University gathered in the city, chanting, “Chop from the top”! and “Union power”!
The popularity of the “chop from the top” slogan shouldn’t surprise anyone; QUT and UQ vice-chancellors Margaret Shiel and Deborah Terry both took home whopping $1.2 million salaries in 2025. Across the street from the rally stood a symbol of the bosses’ greed: Brisbane’s Treasury Building, which Griffith recently bought for $67 million, despite not having enough office space for staff. While vice-chancellors live in luxury and splurge on real estate, the workers who make our universities run are being offered crumbs.
UQ management’s most recent wage offer is 15.5 percent over 4 years, or 3.9 percent per year, lower than current and projected inflation. Matthew Campbell, UQ branch vice-president and national councillor, told the rally that this offer would drive workers into rental stress. Management at QUT and Griffith have so far refused to present a pay offer.
Along with wage increases, the workers want secure jobs and sustainable working conditions. Around 60 percent of workers in the industry are on casual or fixed-term contracts. “Permanent jobs for permanent work”, read one of the signs at the rally, and “Working conditions are student learning conditions” was a popular phrase among staff.
A report by the NTEU found that most Australian university tutorials are now two to three times larger than what academics say is optimal. It’s no wonder engagement is declining, as students are squeezed into overcrowded tutorials with overworked teachers who can’t cater to each student.
Workers’ declining wages reflect universities’ increasing corporatisation. Izzy, a teaching associate from UQ, told Red Flag:
“If you look around the world, you see the exact same thing happening in every education sector ... class sizes ballooning, workloads ballooning, forced restructuring, stripping out courses and degrees ... It’s not just one little policy here and there, it’s a systemic issue.”
Paul, a worker at UQ, spoke to Red Flag about the significance of the strike involving workers from several universities: “We’ve got a hell of a long way to go ... but I really want to have a win in these struggles so that they can hopefully inspire other sections of the trade union movement to do the same thing”.
