DXC Technology employees to take industrial action over pay rise dispute

Close to 200 workers will put down the tools from tomorrow impacting IT services Australia-wide

Employees at DXC Technology will be taking industrial action beginning tomorrow over stalled enterprise agreement negotiations.

Close to 200 workers voted to put down their tools in a series of stoppages and work bans from March 31.

These workers include software engineers, systems engineers, software developers, infrastructure specialists, database administrators, technical consultants, information security analysts and operational support analysts.

The workers will also partake in a 24-hour stop-work on April 2.

CRN Australia understands that the employees are asking for a 4 percent pay increase backdated from July 1, 2025.

For the past 14 months, employees have gone back and forth with enterprise bargaining negotiations, which they say DXC Technology have “failed” to put forward a reasonable offer.

According to Paul Inglis, director at tech union Professionals Australia some employees haven’t been given a pay rise for nearly five years.

“Many of these workers have gone five years without a pay rise,” Inglis said.

“With the cost of living rising sharply over that time, they have effectively taken a massive pay cut while continuing to deliver critical technology services.”

A DXC spokesperson commented on the matter, saying, “We respect the right of our employees to participate in protected industrial action. We continue to bargain in good faith and look forward to finalising the new agreement.”

DXC employees say the company has proposed enterprise agreements containing no guaranteed wage increases for many employees while also seeking to remove several existing conditions.

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,” he said.

“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.”

Expect impacts from DXC strikes

Inglis noted a range of technology services may be disrupted.

This could include delays in IT support and issue resolution, interruptions to system upgrades and project delivery, and slower response times for network maintenance and infrastructure services.

Some of DXC Technology’s clientele include the ATO, AEC, the Attorney General’s Department, and major Australian banks, including ANZ, CommBank, and Westpac.

This story will continue to be updated as it unfolds.