Around 2,000 staff members at the University of Sydney walked off the job on Wednesday for a 24-hour strike. The industrial action was prompted by concerns regarding staff protections from artificial intelligence (AI), workload fairness, and job security.
The strike followed an internal survey where 0% of staff in the faculty of arts and social sciences agreed that they trusted the University of Sydney to act in the best interests of staff, students, and the broader community.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) branch president, Peter Chen, stated that management had rejected union efforts to establish appropriate AI protections. The university, however, said it was "continuing to engage" with the union and considered the industrial action "premature."
As a result of the strike, the University of Sydney advised students that "almost all" scheduled classes would be moved online, with others rescheduled or cancelled. The Student Representative Council also joined the strike in solidarity with staff.