University staff in Wellington will join a nationwide tertiary strike on Wednesday 21 October, just as Victoria University students sit end-of-year assessments and Massey students prepare for exams.
Members of the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) are scheduled to stop work from 1.15pm until 5pm. The union says around 8,000 university and polytechnic staff across New Zealand are expected to take part, the first time its members in both parts of the tertiary sector have struck together.
The union has named Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and Massey University’s Wellington campus among the institutions involved. Members at the University of Otago’s Wellington medical school are also included in the planned action.
The timing matters for students. Victoria University’s end-of-year examination and final assessment period began on 16 October and runs until 7 November. Massey’s study period is from 19 to 23 October, before its examinations begin on 27 October.
The strike includes academic and professional staff. Those roles span teaching, research, libraries and administration, meaning student support and some university services could be affected during the afternoon.
However, the planned stoppage does not by itself mean an examination has been cancelled, postponed or moved. No specific changes to Wellington examination arrangements have been established in the official material checked for this report.
Victoria University students can view their personal examination timetable through Pūaha and check other assessment requirements in Nuku. Massey students should check university messages and information from their courses for any changes affecting Wednesday afternoon.
Students with examinations, assessments, appointments or plans to use campus services during the strike period should follow the latest instructions from their university rather than assume normal arrangements have changed.
The industrial action follows collective bargaining over pay and working conditions. The TEU is seeking increases that better reflect the cost of living, more secure employment and greater investment in tertiary education.
TEU national secretary Amy Ross said staff were concerned about the sustainability of their jobs and the effect of employment conditions on tertiary education.
“You cannot build excellent teaching and research on insecure, overstretched staff,” Ross said in the union’s 2 October announcement.
The union has announced combined rallies in Wellington and several other cities, although the precise effects of the strike on Wellington campus services remain to be confirmed.
The nationwide stoppage is scheduled to finish at 5pm on Wednesday. Students should watch for any further university advice before travelling to campus or attending scheduled assessments.
