Staff at the Centre for Adult Education (CAE) in Melbourne began an indefinite strike on Monday, 18 November, a first for the tertiary education sector in Victoria. The dispute centres on management’s refusal to budge on key conditions in a bargaining period that began in February 2011.

More than 70 members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) have staffed picket lines and cancelled hundreds of classes. Carlos, an administrative officer and one of the delegates leading the strike, told Red Flag, “The real damage is occurring because we’re away from our desks – it’s economic damage.”

Most of the workers have not previously experienced a picket. Teacher delegate Michelle McCann said, “This is the first time that an institution in the tertiary sector has taken indefinite strike action … it sets a precedent for everyone else.”

What has angered the workers the most is management’s refusal to accept external arbitration from Fair Work Australia. Lay-Ping, an administrative officer and also a delegate, related, “Management want to stop us from going to arbitration; they want to be judge, jury and executioner!” Union representation on the key management consultative committee, personal leave and a range of other conditions were also on the boss’s chopping block.

Staff at CAE have not received a pay rise since 2010, and sessional staff at the city site of the organisation (which is owned and operated by the private Box Hill Institute) have been paid 20 percent less than equivalent positions at the Box Hill site.

Lay-Ping described the depth of the disappointment that has driven the workers to fight back: “Staff and students have such loyalty to the institution, we used to be a community and now we’ve become so corporate, I feel like CAE has lost its soul.”

During the strike, more than 10 people have joined the union, and the number of members not taking part in the strike has been reduced to two. Other branches of the NTEU have been giving their support along with a range of other unions that have offered solidarity.

Shane, a member of the Australian Services Union, took up a collection in his workplace to support the strike. “We wanted to show our solidarity in a practical way beyond just signing a petition … It felt great to hand over an envelope full of cash and really let the picketers know we’re behind them”, he said.

Virginia, a teacher at CAE who has been at the picket every day, said, “The real sense of union community and solidarity has really helped us maintain morale through the picket.” She remained defiant: “As long as they continue to dig in their heels, so will we; we won’t stop until we win!”