Staff and academic workers at the University of Melbourne have voted overwhelmingly to undertake a week of industrial action in response to increasing workload pressures exacerbated by the rise of artificial intelligence. The strike, organized by the National Tertiary Education Industrial Union (NTEU), will commence next Monday with a 24-hour work stoppage, followed by the cancellation of all tutorials, lectures, labs, and seminars for the remainder of the week.

The union cited the growing demands on teaching and research staff to monitor student academic integrity in the face of widespread use of AI tools as a key factor contributing to the heightened workload. According to the NTEU, some staff members have reported spending more than 90 extra hours over a two-week period addressing issues related to AI misuse. At the same time, professional staff have flagged increased pressure due to unfilled positions and the need to adapt to significant system changes.

Senior lecturer Dr. Carla Winston highlighted that "high rates of overwork" mean many academics have effectively completed their annual hours by mid-October. The union is seeking the introduction of a weekly working hour limit in staff agreements that would allow for overtime payments when workloads exceed this threshold.

A survey conducted by the NTEU indicates that both union and non-union employees have been working roughly an additional full day each week. Senior lecturer Martin Clark emphasized that the industrial action aims to prompt changes to current conditions: "We’re stopping classes this week to say that this system has to change. We’re ready to get back into the classroom with our students. But Melbourne cannot stay a top institution if workloads are not fixed."

Negotiations between the union and university management are expected to continue throughout the following week. The NTEU has indicated it may consider extending the strike into the final weeks of the academic term if a satisfactory agreement is not reached. The University of Melbourne has been asked for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.