Commons Conversations was a summer series of interviews in which campaigners shared their experiences and insights into activism, learning in movements, radical history and more. The program was broadcast by Community Radio 3CR and produced by the Commons Social Change Library, a website containing over 1000 resources for campaigners, which can be accessed for free at commonslibrary.org.

How did a rank and file led campaign force the University of Melbourne to hand over $31.5 million in stolen wages? To find out Commons Librarian Iain McIntyre chatted with Geraldine Fela, a member of the National Tertiary Education Union and a former delegate with the University of Melbourne’s Casual Network. She discussed how a strong group, built around concerted campaigning and a culture of grassroots democracy, forced the university into conceding better conditions and paying back stolen wages.