Union Essentials

Union Essentials is your practical guide to how your union works and why it matters. Here you’ll find information about what a union is, who represents you, how decisions are made, and how you can get involved in organising to improve working conditions collectively.

What is a union?

A union is a collective organisation of workers who join together to protect their rights and shape their working lives. In universities, your union is how staff turn individual concerns into collective power—setting the terms of our work, defending academic freedom, and ensuring decisions about teaching, research, workloads, and governance are made by those who do the work.

Your union is the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).

  • The NTEU is a union for people working in Australian tertiary education. We have almost 28,000 members across the country.

    Whether you're a casual or full-time worker, in academia or admin, at a university, research institute or private provider, the NTEU is your union.

    Visit the NTEU website: nteu.au

    Join the NTEU: nteu.au/join

Why should I join my union?

Working in higher education means navigating insecure employment, rising workloads, and managerial decision-making that increasingly excludes staff voices. Joining your union is the most effective way to counter this. Organised labour is the only mechanism through which working people can effect change.

Collective organisation is how university workers in Australia win enforceable pay rises, protect academic freedom, limit casualisation, and shape enterprise agreements that govern daily working conditions. Individually, staff are vulnerable; collectively, we have the power to enforce rights, demand accountability, and assert democratic control over our workplaces.

  • The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is made up of tens of thousands of university workers across Australia, from academics and professional staff to technical and campus workers. Many of the conditions you rely on at work—annual and sick leave, penalty rates, parental leave, health and safety protections, redundancy pay, and unfair dismissal protections—exist because of collective union action. In universities, key gains such as sector-leading superannuation rates and stronger employment conditions were not granted by management; they were negotiated and defended by union members. Collective organisation turns shared needs into enforceable rights.

  • Union membership is not about individual advantage alone; it is about collective bargaining power. Working conditions at universities are negotiated between management and union members, and experience consistently shows that strong union membership delivers better outcomes. The larger and more active the union, the stronger its position at the bargaining table. NTEU members represent you in enterprise bargaining, arguing for fair pay increases, secure employment, and improved leave and workload protections.

    When workers stand together, they shape the rules of their workplace rather than having them imposed. Membership ensures your voice contributes to decisions that affect everyone.

  • Your union is often the first place members turn when something goes wrong at work. Bullying, harassment, and unfair treatment occur all too often in universities, and membership ensures you are not left to deal with these issues alone. Members have access to expert advice, representation, and support, with decisions always guided by what the member wants to do.

    Union fees function as a collective safety net: modest, tax-deductible contributions that provide protection when it matters most. Union members can also access a range of training and development opportunities and discounts and offers on goods and services. Beyond this, membership connects you to a community that supports one another across roles, careers, and stages of working life.

  • A lot of colleagues, understandably, don’t enjoy conflict or making waves. They hope that ‘keeping their head down’ or being a really conscientious employee will mean they have safe, well-paid employment, and a happy work life. Sadly, we have found that not being a member of the NTEU, and not ensuring you access your entitlements leads to problems, rather than an easy-going work life. Join us today! join/nteu.au

How can I get involved?

Union membership is not passive. There are many ways to get involved, depending on your interests and time—from staying informed to taking on representative or organising roles. The options below outline how you can contribute and help build the collective strength of your union.

  • Staying informed is a vital part of collective organising. By simply signing up to your union’s communications, sharing information with colleagues, and displaying NTEU posters in your workplace, you help ensure that staff know their rights, understand current issues, and can respond collectively when it matters. Information is a key source of workplace power.

  • Collective action is how unions secure real change. Attending meetings, participating in bargaining, and helping to plan and organise campaigns strengthens the union’s ability to win improved pay, conditions, and job security. When members take part together, decisions about work are shaped by those who do the work.

    Come along to a local workplace meeting.

    Attend union training or information events.

    Take part in the public events, celebrations and rallies.

    When the time comes, join the picket line.

  • Union training equips members with the skills to organise effectively at work. Your union runs a one-day course that provides practical tools for understanding workplace power, building collective support, and turning shared concerns into coordinated action. Training strengthens confidence, expands leadership capacity, and helps ensure that workers—not management—shape decisions about our working lives.

    Upcoming one-day training dates:

    • Wed, 29 April

    • Wed, 24 June

    To register, click HERE.

    Upcoming one-hour training opportunities (held 12noon - 1pm):

    • Rights & Representation at Meetings (1 April; 2 July);

    • New (or Prospective) Member Information (2 April; 7 July);

    • Psychosocial Risk in the Workplace (8 April; 9 July);

    • Health and Safety Representative (HSR) Overview (9 April; 8 July);

    • Understanding University Finances (12 April; 23 April; 14 July);

    • Enterprise Agreement Interpretation (30 April; 29 June).

    To register for any of these training opportunities, click HERE.

  • Keen to do more? You can nominate to be elected as a NTEU Delegate.

    Union delegates (sometimes called ‘workplace representatives’) are elected by members in their work unit. They are the first point of contact for members, providing people with information about campaigns such as enterprise bargaining, and informing the NTEU Branch of any problems arising in their area. Delegates welcome new staff to the workplace, explain the role of the NTEU, support members with problems, and encourage new staff to join.

    Union delegates have special legislated protections, receive training from the NTEU and ongoing support and development opportunities. If you’re keen, email our Branch Organiser - uq@nteu.org.au.

  • The NTEU has 4 levels of elected representatives:

    • local area (a union delegate elected by their fellow members in that work area);

    • branch (those elected to represent the workers at the University of Queensland);

    • division (those elected to coordinate the work of the branches across the state - for UQ members, we are in the Queensland division); and

    • national (elected members of the division who take part in National Council, which meets annually to decide on the direction and priorities of the NTEU).

    Any member of the NTEU at UQ can nominate to be elected:

    • as a union delegate for their workplace;

    • as a member of the UQ Branch Committee (or Gatton Sub-Committee); and

    • as a member of Division (and National) Council.

    There are also executive roles (e.g., President, Vice-President, Secretary) for the Branch, Division and National levels, and dedicated elected leaders for professional staff, academic staff, casual employees. and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members. 

    Local area elections can take place at any time - simply contact our Branch Organiser (uq@nteu.org.au) to set it up.

    The next Branch and Division/National level elections will be held in June/July 2026 - nominations will be due by May. Keep an eye out for the call for nominations!

    All financial members can vote in union elections, and we encourage everyone to participate. A strong democratic process makes for a stronger union. 

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