I’m Dylan Griffiths, a Higher Degree by Research administration worker in Student Administration Services. I joined the NTEU in 2015. Between 2016 and 2018 I worked for the union at the Western Sydney University branch, helping lead its industrial campaign and bargaining round. Our industrial action gained new job security pathways for academic casuals and sector-leading workload clauses for Professional staff. I assisted in disputes that went to Fairwork and won, initiated successful conversion cases for fixed term staff, organised around workplace change, and recruited large numbers of members.
In 2018 I returned to the University of Sydney starting in the Student Centre where I became a workplace delegate. When I started there were just 3 members in the work area, by the time I left we had a strong group of 20 members who were regularly meeting to discuss workplace issues. We built workplace power through local campaigns that removed unfair KPIs from our PDs, diversified our workloads, and which successfully advocated for new rostering provisions to stop unpaid overtime. I’ve personally drafted wage claims for colleagues who had been underpaid, enforced the agreement, and handled a variety of cases ranging from disciplinary to individual workplace change.
I moved to the HDR Centre in May 2020 when the Jobs Protection Framework debate was raging. I joined with members to reject the framework proposed by the national leadership as I believe the best way to protect our jobs is by building workplace power, not trading off pay and conditions. Unfortunately, our union failed to protect jobs during the pandemic and pursue organising-orientated alternatives to the JPF.
The NTEU, in my opinion, needs a stronger delegate culture. Creating delegate structures at every branch (beyond branch committees) needs to be the priority project for the NTEU. Structurally I think the NTEU struggles to empower active members who are not on the branch committee or national council – this needs to change. Building a real delegate network on each campus will require serious resources and ongoing commitment from the national and state offices. We are making gains in this area at Sydney but there is a long way to go. I’m running for National Council, so I can influence the union at the national level and call for greater support for local branches to organise.
This bargaining campaign management has shown hostility to professional staff, their log of claims looking to remove and water down important conditions including internal recruitment ringfencing and redundancy pay. I will fight to maintain our conditions and strengthen our job security provisions, access to flexible working arrangements, and a real pay rise of 2.5% above inflation. The national office needs to support our bargaining campaign and log of claims.
We have a real chance to make change happen at the University and in the sector, but we need a stronger union to make that happen. That’s why I’m asking for your number 1 vote to be your National Councillor.
I’m running with Rank and File Action. We believe our union will be stronger with more concerted organising, recruitment, and engagement. We’re made up of academic and professional staff, ongoing and casual from a variety of work areas and academic disciplines.
Vote [1] Dylan Griffiths for National Councillor (General Staff)
Vote [1] to [6] for National Council:
[1] Riki Scanlan,
[2] Dani Cotton,
[3] Dylan Griffiths,
[4] Wanyi (Wendy) Xin,
[5] Matte Rochford, and
[6] Luke Alexander
For a full how-to-vote and to find out how you can get more involved, go to https://rafausyd.wordpress.com
Rank-And-File Action USYD 