Federation University, its staff and the education union are still negotiating after a 24-hour strike action on Monday over pay and work conditions.

What happened? After eight months of failed negotiations, Federation University staff at Victoria’s Ballarat, Berwick, Melbourne, Wimmer and Churchill campuses chose to undertake a 24-hour strike to pressure the university to meet their demands.

What they said: Federation University nursing lecturer Michelle Hibberson told the Monitor that staff were now “exhausted” after elongated negotiations for a pay increase to make ends meet.

  • “The strike was across all institutes at the university, including teachers, nurses, social workers, physios and our professional staff that help us out,” Hibberson said.

Gas project off Gippsland’s Ninety Mile Beach worth $1 billion collapses into administration

The company had been given a licence by the Victorian government only two weeks ago.

Hibberson estimated there were about 500 nursing students at the Churchill Federation University campus that were impacted by the strike.

  • “It’s really hard on staff at the moment with the conditions, workloads and hours we have to work to provide the students with the education they deserve.”

Humid weather brings mozzie swarms to Gippsland and the livestock aren’t happy

“Mosquitoes that would normally not come down from northern parts of Australia can bring viruses we don’t usually see.”

Negotiations: The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has been negotiating a new enterprise bargaining agreement with the university for the last eight months. 

The Monitor understands the university has sent an email signalling it is ready to return to the negotiating table.

The Monitor contacted Federation University for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.

Keep Reading