Rank-and-file action are a group of union members seeking to extend our industrial campaign in Semester Two. We believe our union could be even stronger with more concerted organising, recruitment, and engagement. We’re made up of academic and professional staff, ongoing and casual, and we want to see the university reflect the voices of its workers.
We’ve come out of three days of strike action with a boost in membership and lots of good press coverage. We have a real chance to make change happen at the University – but that needs our vibrant grassroots campaign to continue and grow across Semester Two. We’ll need to bring new members on board, build towards even stronger strike action, and conclude negotiations not only with a fairer contract but a stronger union.
Vote [1] David Brophy for Academic Vice-President
Vote [1] Dylan Griffiths for General Vice-President
Vote [1] Finola Laughren for Casual Branch Committee Representative
Vote [1] to [8] for Ordinary Committee Members:
[1] Markela Panegyres,
[2] Dylan Griffiths,
[3] Dani Cotton,
[4] Cian Galea,
[5] Benjamin Miller,
[6] Luke Alexander,
[7] Matte Rochford, and
[8] Ben Graham
See our full How-To-Vote here.
For Branch President
Support
Nick Riemer
Why I’m running for president
When I put myself forward for president last year, I committed to seeing the branch through the EA campaign. Since this is unlikely to be over by the time of the elections, I’ve nominated again. Whether during bargaining or after it, I’ll work hard to promote a participatory, democratic and activist branch, to defend and extend our rights at work, and to relentlessly hold management to account for their failures and their regressive vision of the university’s future.
For Academic Vice-President
Vote [1] David Brophy
My name is David Brophy and I’m running to represent academic staff as Vice-President of the branch. I’ve been at Sydney since 2013 and am now a senior lecturer in the History Department. I served on the Branch Committee from 2014 to 2018, where I gained experience in every dimension of branch activity: from defending individuals in meetings with their supervisors, confronting and challenging change plans impacting entire sections of the university, to the ups and downs of the 2017 EA campaign. I know that doing the VP job effectively will involve a lot of time and energy, and I’m up for it.
For General Vice-President
Vote [1] Dylan Griffiths
ote [1] Dylan Griffiths
I’m Dylan Griffiths, I’m asking for your vote to be the Vice President (General) of our branch.
I have proven organising and industrial skills to lead our branch and ensure we finish bargaining as a stronger union.
I’m a Higher Degree by Research administration worker in Student Administration Services. I joined the NTEU in 2015.
For Branch Committee, Casual Representative
Vote [1] Finola Laughren
I am a PhD Candidate in the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies, and a casual tutor in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. I am nominating to fill the position of Branch Committee Member (Casual Employees).
For Ordinary Branch Committee Member
Vote [1] Markela Panegyres
I am a casual academic at Sydney College for the Arts (SCA), and have been an active member of the NTEU and USyd Casuals Network since 2020. Prior to this I was involved in the “Let SCA Stay” campaign of 2016-17. This was a tough campaign that opened my eyes to the necessity of strong, collective action, and the need for solidarity between students and staff in the fight against punitive management.
For Ordinary Branch Committee Member
Vote [2] Dylan Griffiths
Image and statement as above, available here.
For Ordinary Branch Committee Member
Vote [3] Dani Cotton
Hi, I’m Dani. I’ve been an active NTEU member since I started working here two years ago as a casual tutor in the arts faculty, including serving for the last year as the branch committee casual representative. In that role I’ve done my best to support and encourage local organising, build public protest action, and to stand staunchly together as a union on casual issues.
For Ordinary Branch Committee Member
Vote [4] Cian Galea
I’m Cian Galea, a fixed term Research Assistant in the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services). I have been an active member of the NTEU and the Cases Committee since I started at the University in January of this year. I immediately threw myself into the work of building our industrial campaign from the start of my time here, including by serving as a picket captain and coordinating the NTEU’s leafletting efforts last semester.
For Ordinary Branch Committee Member
Vote [5] Benjamin Miller
Our university faces unprecedented centralisation, casualisation, and attacks on academic workloads. Consultation has become a weasel word as senior managers push through change proposals that destroy departments, undermine quality teaching and generate immense surpluses. Participation in the NTEU – fighting for a strong enterprise agreement and holding the University to account under that agreement – is one of the few ways we can restore the university’s social purpose and stem the tide of tertiary corporatisation. I have nominated for Branch Committee membership so that I can encourage and support member-led initiatives.
For Ordinary Branch Committee Member
Vote [6] Luke Alexander
Dear comrades, my name is Luke Alexander, and I work as a full-time continuing teacher and teacher trainer at the Centre for English Teaching. I’ve been working in higher education since 2013, and in that time I’ve seen our sector from many different perspectives. I’ve worked as a casual academic, enduring wage theft. I’ve been a PhD candidate for a few years now, and I’ve seen the insecure academic job market impact the lives of those around me. Finally, I’ve worked as a full-time continuing teacher to international students, with ever increasing workloads, trying to help my international students as they navigate a system that sees them as cash cows as much as anything else.
For Ordinary Branch Committee Member
Vote [7] Matte Rochford
Hi, I’m Matte. I’m an artist and union activist with a history of fighting for workers’ rights. I’m not shy about speaking up for my workmates, and with the fantastic strikes at Sydney University set to continue into Semester 2, I see no reason to stop!
For Ordinary Branch Committee Member
Vote [8] Ben Graham
I’m Ben Graham, a casual tutor in the School of Computer Science (SCS) since 2020.
I’ve been active in the recent NTEU strikes as a police liaison at the ABS picket. In recent years, it’s become clear that the University has engaged in business practices that have left us with widespread casualisation and poor working conditions. Initial tutor meetings are often punctuated with news about budget cuts, or course content is cut midway through semester due to budget constraints, but the University has made a billion dollars in profit, something can’t be right with how our university is being run.
Rank-And-File Action USYD 