DXC strike threatens IT system at banks, gov agencies

Binaya Dahal

Journalist

31 March 2026

Critical government and banking technology systems are facing potential disruptions as workers at IT services provider DXC Technology prepare to begin industrial action today following a protracted wage dispute.

Professionals Australia, the union representing the workers, announced on Monday that its members at DXC “overwhelmingly” voted to support strike action after more than 14 months of negotiations on their enterprise agreement.

The action, which consists of nationwide stoppages on March 31 and a 24-hour stop-work on April 2, is expected to affect the systems at ANZ, Commonwealth Bank and Westpac, three of the nation’s largest banks.

It may also impact a range of technology services across government institutions, including the Australian Taxation Office, the Electoral Commission and the Attorney-General’s Department.

Professionals Australia’s Director Paul Inglis said the strike involves 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 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.”

Inglis said 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.”

But despite fortnightly meetings since late 2024, progress on wages, standby rates and workplace conditions has stalled.

“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.”

He said many DXC employees have not received a pay rise in five years while the cost of living has increased by more than twenty-four per cent over that time.

“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,” Inglis said.

“Industrial action is never something these professionals take lightly. But after more than 14 months of negotiations, workers have been left with no choice.”