This Easter, 200 tech workers at DXC Technology struck across Australia. In an industry wracked with fear and layoffs, the strike is a much-needed antidote.
The DXC workers and their union, Professionals Australia, are fighting tech bosses who’ve had it too good for too long.
On 31 March, the workers began industrial action after 14 months of negotiations broke down. Close to 90 per cent of members voted for work stoppages, escalating to a 24-hour stop-work on 2 April.
The action started with a four-hour stoppage on 31 March from 12.30pm, followed by a 30-minute stoppage at 4.30pm. Workers also banned overtime, standby and callout work for three days, on top of bans on servicing customer requests and attending meetings.
They effectively introduced their own work-from-home policy by banning physical attendance at the office for 72 hours.
Workers are refusing to submit timesheets indefinitely (timesheets are used by the boss to bill clients) and are making their case to clients, media and politicians.
The workers are fighting for 4 per cent wage increases a year, backdated to 1 July, a standby allowance and overtime pay. Many haven’t received a pay rise in five years, during which time the cost of living has risen by more than 24 per cent.
“They have effectively taken a massive pay cut while continuing to deliver critical technology services,” said Professionals Australia Director Paul Inglis.
System upgrades
DXC Technology is a massive IT outsourcing company that runs the critical computer systems whose clients include the Australian Taxation Office and Electoral Commission and the ANZ, Commonwealth, Westpac banks.
The industrial action expected to cause delays in IT support, interrupt system upgrades and project delivery and lead to reduced service levels across key parts of the economy.
The striking workers are software engineers, systems engineers, developers, infrastructure specialists, database administrators, technical consultants, information security analysts and operational support staff. These are the people who keep the digital backbone of the Australian economy running.
“They are highly skilled professionals responsible for maintaining the networks, systems and cybersecurity that large parts of the economy rely on,” Inglis said.
“When these professionals stop work or place bans on certain tasks, it means technical problems will take longer to fix, upgrades will be delayed, and support requests will not be actioned as quickly.”
The dispute’s roots go back to 2023, when DXC attempted to terminate legacy or zombie enterprise agreements negotiated as far back as 2002 and push 540 workers on to minimum award conditions.
Workers rejected the demotion and applied to extend the life of the enterprise agreements until a new one could be negotiated.
“[The award] would have left many workers tens of thousands of dollars worse off,” Inglis said. Workers joined the union in large numbers and forced the company back to the bargaining table.
Professionals Australia said the company had proposed enterprise agreements that contained no guaranteed wage rises for many employees while also seeking to remove several existing conditions.
Yet DXC can easily afford to pay its workers. In 2025, the company reported $US12.9 billion in revenue and $US389 million in net profit. That’s a 327 per cent increase on the prior year. Where did that money go? Not to the workers.
CEO Raul Fernandez received total compensation of $US16.74 million in 2025, up more than 20 per cent on the previous year. Under the previous CEO, the company disclosed a CEO-to-median-employee pay ratio of 512:1.
Critical moment
So DXC has the money. It’s also clear that the bosses are frightened by the strike. Members of the mainframe team were approached directly by management during Easter and offered an extra $975 per day to stop their action.
Easter is critical for DXC, with important system changes needed as daylight saving ends. In a show of solidarity, workers made their position clear: no bribe would make up for five years without a pay rise.
The DXC dispute is happening at a critical moment for tech workers. In 2026 alone, there have been 215 layoffs at tech companies globally affecting 90,524 people. Australia lost 31,000 tech jobs in the year to May 2025. Just recently Atlassian laid off 1600 workers, 10 per cent of its global workforce.
Some 9238 Australian layoffs have been linked directly to AI adoption, with major employers announcing redundancies as they attempt to replace workers with AI or free up funds for AI research.
The DXC strike cuts against the trend. It’s critical that all workers support them. A win for the DXC workers will raise the floor for everyone and set a tradition of fighting back in the tech sector.
In an industry whose executives use AI to justify mass layoffs while awarding themselves millions, that fight couldn’t be more urgent.
Workers will take further action this weekend, with bans on overtime, standby and on-call duties.
Sign the strikers’ petition to show your support.
By Jayden Awarau
