Nearly thirty academics at the Australian National University have downed tools indefinitely, plunging the prestigious institution's humanities faculty into disarray. The dramatic staff walkout comes in direct response to a chilling independent health and safety assessment that warned of 'a risk of serious harm' to employees.
The report, commissioned by the university itself, pinpointed chronic and severe understaffing and unsustainable workloads as the primary drivers of the crisis within the School of Literature, Languages, and Linguistics. It concluded that current conditions pose a significant threat to the mental and physical wellbeing of staff.
In a powerful collective action, all 27 staff members involved in teaching two crucial courses have stopped work. They have vowed to continue their strike until management presents a satisfactory and binding plan to address the critical findings. This action disrupts classes for hundreds of students with just weeks left in the teaching semester.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is firmly backing the industrial action. Union representatives allege that ANU management has been "repeatedly made aware of these dangerous workloads" but has failed to take meaningful action to rectify the situation, thereby forcing staff into this position.
An ANU spokesperson acknowledged the report's findings and stated the university is "working through the recommendations" and is committed to engaging with staff. However, with academics now on strike and students caught in the middle, the pressure is mounting for the university administration to move beyond consultations and deliver immediate, concrete solutions to safeguard its workforce.
