DXC Technology staff to begin industrial action in Australia

Union members at DXC Technology in Australia are scheduled to begin industrial action today, following what their union described as “fourteen months of stalled enterprise agreement negotiations.”

Professionals Australia said members would begin a “series of stoppages and work bans” from today, March 31, “escalating” to a 24-hour stop-work on April 2.

The union’s announcement did not say how many DXC Technology employees are participating in the industrial action. The Australian Financial Review reported that “up to 200” employees were involved. techpartner.news has asked the union to confirm the number.

Professionals Australia Director Paul Inglis stated that the industrial action would involve “highly skilled technology professionals, including software engineers, systems engineers, software developers, infrastructure specialists, database administrators, technical consultants, information security analysts and operational support analysts.”

“These are the people who keep these critical systems running for Australia’s major government agencies and banks,” Inglis stated.

According to Inglis, the dispute “has its roots in long-running efforts by workers to protect existing employment conditions after legacy enterprise agreements covering many employees were due to expire.”

“In 2023, DXC attempted to terminate legacy enterprise agreements and push employees back onto Award minimum conditions,” Inglis stated.

“That would have left many workers tens of thousands of dollars worse off. Workers joined our Union in large numbers, successfully challenged the move and forced the company back to the bargaining table.”

Bargaining meetings have taken place approximately every fortnight since late 2024, according to Professionals Australia. The union said “workers say progress on key issues, including wage increases, standby rates, and workplace conditions, has been limited.”

“Our members have been negotiating in good faith for more than a year, trying to reach a fair agreement,” Inglis said.

“But instead of putting a reasonable offer on the table, DXC has proposed agreements that remove conditions and provide little or no guaranteed wage increases.”

The union claims “many DXC employees have not received a pay rise in five years.” It also said: “Workers say the company has proposed enterprise agreements containing no guaranteed wage increases for many employees while also seeking to remove several existing conditions.”

“Industrial action is never something these professionals take lightly,” Inglis said.

“But after more than fourteen months of negotiations, workers have been left with no choice but to take action to secure a fair agreement that recognises their skills and the critical work they do.”

techpartner.news has contacted DXC Technology for comment.