October Strike Digest #2
Day #2 Wrap Up
The chant "Rain, hail or shine, we will hold the picket line!" was heard up and down Swanston Street this morning.
Staff and students braved torrential rain on our first full day of the strike to picket entrances along the east side of the campus.
We approached incoming students, staff and cars to share information about the strike, and convinced many to show solidarity with our campaign by turning away or joining in.
After the pickets wound up, we headed to Southbank to rally with VCA staff, the largest union protest there in a decade!
We heard from a range of academic staff and students who described their precarious study and working conditions.
Each one detailed a fraught system where individuals are trapped by lack of communication from management, a lack of job security, and in a lot of cases a lack of compassion.
Academic staff member Damien Smith moved the crowd with his story about having to rush from his mother’s funeral back to work since as a casual he is “ineligible” for compassionate leave.
This provision of compassionate leave is a claim that the NTEU Melbourne bargaining team has fought for during negotiations, but which management has consistently downplayed as a priority.
Staff from Music lead us in a rousing rendition of "On the picket line," with changes in the lyrics by our own John Gabriel from Musicology, who also provided songsheets we will take back to the pickets where the song will strengthen our resolve.
The strike also continues to grow! Tutors from Mathematics & Statistics have been visiting tutorials still running to make announcements and have conversations with students and staff not on strike. Their efforts have been extremely effective - this afternoon they managed to convince one staff member to join the union and strike!
On our march around the campus, we were serenaded by a brilliant performance of Billy Bragg's classic 'There is power in the union' by saxophonists on strike, before over 300 staff met to discuss the next steps for the campaign.
Despite ending the day soaked, spirits were high and staff remain committed to returning to campus to continue the pickets and building the strike.
What's on Wednesday
8am - Pickets, starting at Monash Rd
9.30am - Racism in the Uni & Union, Arts West Cinema Space, room 353
12pm - March against racism at the University, Peter Hall building (followed by lunch)
1pm-4.15pm - Racism in the University and the union, Harold Woodruff Theatre, Old Microbiology Building
2pm - Creative writing teach-in: Slow reading of the Good University on Zoom
Full week schedule can be found here
