By Jeannie Rea. In early September 2016, more than forty Turkish academics were deemed ‘supporters of terrorism’, dismissed and banned from service along with thousands of other education sector workers.
Dismissed under the state of emergency, they will neither be able to appeal the decision nor ever work again in the public sector. Their passports have also been revoked. More...

By Jeannie Rea. The current South African student protests are the biggest mobilisations of students since the end of apartheid. The ‘Fees Must Fall’ protests are of such magnitude that they could close down the higher education system. More...

By Jeannie Rea. NTEU’s annual National Council meeting included many new faces, as following recent elections 35 new Councillors joined 98 re-elected delegates to participate in the three day conference. More...

By Jeannie Rea. Di Zetlin was one of the founding figures of the NTEU, and was the foundation President of the Union. Before that, she was a leading figure in the NTEU’s predecessor union the Federation of Australian University Staff Associations (FAUSA) and a pioneer of modern university staff unionism. More...

By Jeannie Rea. I knew from a young age that feminism and unionism would play a role in my life. During primary school, my class was asked to do a presentation on our favourite Australian. While others spoke of Kylie Minogue, Donald Bradman and Bob Hawke; I very proudly stood in front of my peers and talked about my ancestor, Jean Beadle. It is recently that I have rekindled my reflections on Jean Beadle’s legacy, and how her activism shaped my life. More...

By Jeannie Rea. Don’t we know all there is about gender and equality in university employment? Aren’t women the majority of staff? The answer to this last question is Yes, women are the majority of university employees. But the answer to the first question is No. And these issues of gender and equality are particularly important as universities change their employment models. In a changing system, equalities – or inequalities – can change – and we need to be aware of this. More...

By Jeannie Rea. The Turnbull Government has made it clear that they believe that the role of universities is to support research, development, and ‘innovation’ in the private sector. And with the added incentive of research grants favouring such collaborative work, universities will be stepping up their already deep and broad commitments to private industry and government in research and engagement. More...

By Jeannie Rea. Meanwhile in Victoria, where a change of government led to the restoration of staff (and student) positions on councils, most universities have failed to embrace a return of staff and student participation. At most institutions only one staff and one student position were created and attempts were made to stymie eligibility to nominate and then conduct an open election campaign. Newly elected representatives at some universities are already facing the same opposition taken to extremes at UNE. More...

By Jeannie Rea. ACTU Executive met in Darwin in August this year, the 50th anniversary of the Wave Hill Walk-Off ‘as a demonstration of commitment and bond between Indigenous working people and the wider trade union movement,’ according to ACTU President Ged Kearney.
Back in August 1966 around 200 pastoral and domestic workers and their families walked off Wave Hill pastoral station. They were taking industrial action as local representatives of their employer, Vesteys, had refused yet again their request for equal pay with white workers. More...

By Jeannie Rea. The academic profession is in crisis. Today the proportion of research-only academics exceeds ‘teaching and research’ academics at most Group of Eight institutions, and the majority of teaching in most courses in most universities is done by casually employed staff. More...