NTEU Tasmanian Division

31/05/2026

UTAS and Deloitte Deep Dive Part 5: The Chancellor wrote back...

The Chancellor has again failed to answer our questions around the VC's appointment with the accounting firm Deloitte. Watch our video to learn why.

Jo Palmer MLC a "thorough" process was not followed concerning the VC's appointment. Our Council is broken and Tasmanians deserve better than our current university governance. They also deserve a Minister for Education who understands the seriousness of our governance crisis and who will act accordingly. It's time to chat with the NTEU.

See Robert Hogan's recent blog post, which includes letters to our Minister - https://theutaspapers.com/head-in-the-sand-jo-palmer-and-vc-blacks-deloitte-conflict-of-interest/

Also, our recent media release to come out of national office - https://www.nteu.au/News_Articles/Media_Releases/Tasmanians_deserve_answers_UTAS_governance_crisis.aspx

25/05/2026

On Wednesday, our organiser Alex asked members why they were on strike...

Fairer pay and workloads.
Protections from anti intellectualism.
Protections from the ravages of AI.

We are incredibly lucky to have the staff we do at UTAS and they must be respected through a better EBA.

Quite a few whoops and horns in the video, but the future of our state's sole uni is worth making noise for.

24/05/2026

Our industrial action isn't just about better pay, it's also about fair conditions. There is a workloads crisis at UTAS and this is what it means for some of our academics who are living it.

We are back at the bargaining table this week. Will UTAS commit to ending unsafe teaching, research and learning environments?

21/05/2026

In case you missed it - our feature in Monday's Pulse with Phil Bohle's brilliant group pic. Executives can shut their blinds, but there's no avoiding the growing union power at UTAS 💜

Their union says they are the lowest paid of Australia’s public universities…

20/05/2026

NTEU members were very happy to be honked at today during this afternoon's strike! A big thank you to the members who helped turn a few CBD corners purple (we also spotted members out in the wild in midtown).

We can confirm that executives within the Forest building shut their blinds after seeing the purple flags. The sight of union power is a bit spooky for some, it seems.

Also, a number of members have let us know that our emails are now mysteriously diverting to their UTAS spam folders. We're not entirely sure why this is happening (although we do have a hunch). Please make sure to check your spam folder and mark our emails as not junk!

And be sure to send us your photos from any team meet ups you held this afternoon 💜 [first photo from this stack is from Emerald King]

19/05/2026

Industrial action at UTAS continues tomorrow via an escalated FOUR HOUR work stoppage. If you're an NTEU member, at 1PM, go and spend your arvo with comrades/friends/family - the choice is yours (just make sure you stop work).

If you've seen our articles in Saturday's Mercury and Togatus you would have read that UTAS claims to support the right for members to take industrial action, yet is disappointed by the choice to escalate. They also claim to be working on a better offer for staff, but continue to double down on a 3% wage increase as being appropriate under current cost of living pressures...

While UTAS continues to flip-flop, our members mean business.

18/05/2026

"Members will not continue to pay out of their own pockets to paper over management's mistakes."

This is just one of the reasons why NTEU members at UTAS are planning a half day strike on Wednesday. You can find our latest press on page 9 of Saturday's Mercury, where our Div Sec Ruth Barton makes it clear that staff will not settle for less simply because they are Tasmanian....

17/05/2026

NTEU members continue industrial action, Chief of People tells us a 3% wage increase is appropriate for Tasmanians and the NTEU tables our counter offer for a wage increase.

This is the week just gone in bargaining. Watch to find out more.

13/05/2026

Enterprise bargaining picks up again today and this week's meetings are more important than ever. Following on from industrial action, will UTAS present a truly better wage offer and support fair workloads and AI regulations?

During Tuesday's work stoppage, our HASS staff in Hobart had some clear messages for our VC.

BETTER UNIVERSITIES PAY THEIR STAFF BETTER

STUDENTS DEMAND ACTION FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR

VALUE TASSIE'S ONLY UNIVERSITY

We couldn't agree more...

13/05/2026

The latest Togatus mag is out and it’s a great read as always. This issue includes a feature on the NTEU's industrial action. UTAS Chief People Officer, Kristen Derbyshire, claims that UTAS’ 3% wage increase offer is an “appropriate pay rise in a Tasmanian context” and has expressed her disappointment in the strikes.

CPI in Hobart is currently 0.5 higher than the national average and with just 0.3% rental capacity it’s now more expensive to rent a house in Hobart than it is Melbourne. That is the Tasmanian context. Probably not an issue for the VCs who are earning close to double the Prime Minister’s salary...

This is also the first we are hearing of UTAS working on a better offer. We look forward to seeing what that is at the bargaining table tomorrow.

We again thank Togatus and the student body for their interest and solidarity during industrial action. And if you’re wondering how the NTEU has handled our VC’s appointment with Deloitte, check out our reels and deep dives into the issue.

For the last Togatus Fortnightly of the semester (devastating for absolutely everyone, we know), we've brought you some friendly intellectual debate, a recap on the NTEU strikes last week, and everything in between. Get reading toggies, and we'll see you next with the Semester 1 MAGAZINE! xoxo