Michele Kenworthy is proud of and loves working at the University of Wollongong.
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But without fail for the past six years the careers consultant has felt “high stress and anxiety” come the end of year.
“There’s a definite period where I just don’t know if I’ll have a job to go back to,” Mrs Kenworthy said.
“Mine is an ongoing role but still we rely on SAF [Student Amenities Fees] funding. That period of uncertainty when we’re waiting for this funding is extremely tough.
“Not being able to plan ahead is mentally stressful. This uncertainty impacts on your family. It’s just not fair.”
The mother-of-one joined fellow UOW staff who walked off the job on Tuesday for 24-hours and called on university management to address staff union concerns around job security, pay and the protection of staff conditions.
“We are not asking for a lot. We just want job security,” she said.
UOW visual arts lecturer Teo Treloar was also supporting the National Tertiary Education Union- led campaign on Tuesday.
But while Mr Treloar expressed some sympathy for the university, adding he felt the federal government’s policies were primarily responsible for the increasing casualisation of the workforce at UOW.
“I think there needs to be a really open and honest conversation that starts from the government because they lead the dialogue in what education is,” he said.
“We’ve had a really negative dialogue coming out of the current government about what education means and what purpose it serves.
“So I think the conversation has to start there and that has to come down and also happen in universities.
“I absolutely have some sympathy for the university.
“The funding mechanisms have been tightened and tightened and I think universities have a foot on their neck in regards to funding and I definitely kind of understand the issues but it is a difficult situation.
“When you are a casual staff member you have to work in the knowledge that you won’t have work and it makes life very hard and very difficult.”