About
If you’re a uni casual, a casualised worker, sessional staff, working a gig at the uni, one of the precariat - however you call it - you’ll likely be familiar with late contracts, uncertainty about your future employment, and tired of working unpaid hours.
Maybe you are here because you also find yourself experiencing a troubling mix of exhaustion and alienation, pleasure and enthusiasm (it does happen), combined with frustration about not having sick pay, holidays or job security.
The UNSW Casuals Network took shape from low-key conversations on such themes, held between classes, over coffees, or on breaks. It has since flourished as a space of connection and organisation among past and present casual staff.
We share experiences from various corners of the uni. We provide each other support and community. We strategise and scheme about ways to improve our working conditions in solidarity with others.
In 2020, we’ve written about the economic crisis universities are facing and how we think university workers need to organise in our interests, conducted a workers’ inquiry to document the experience of UNSW casual workers in the early phase of Australia’s pandemic response, and participated together in protests on and off campus.
UNSW Casuals Network welcomes all past, current, and future UNSW casual staff, professional and academic, to join in. We encourage the participation of union members as well as those who are not current union members. There are many ways to be involved, from weekly meetings to our online forums and other projects.
You can contact us via email, Twitter, or Facebook. We look forward to hearing from you.