Staff said talks had gone on for a year with no sign they were coming to an end.

National Tertiary Education Union members from five major universities joined the protest for better pay and conditions.

About 40 university teachers, general staff and students maintained picket lines for four hours at the entrances to Monash University's Clayton campus on Thursday morning.

A senior lecturer at the School of Historical Studies, Carol Williams, said there were fundamental sticking points in the proposed wage agreement that staff could not accept.

"Casuals and sessional academic staff are treated pretty dismally at the university."

Ms Williams said casual staff, who made up 52per cent of the university's 7000-plus workforce, were not paid for marking students' work.

They also had no offices, individual phone lines or access to a photocopier and their email addresses were cut off at the end of each semester, she said.

"These are fledgling young academics finishing their PhDs who provide the main amount of teaching for first- and second-year classes.

"They deserve to be paid for all of the work they do. We can't have an arrangement without that."

Teachers are seeking a salary increase of more than 6per cent over the next three years, better job security, improved student-staff ratios and a restoration of rights removed by the former federal government's higher education workplace laws.

Library catalogue maintenance and storage team leader Jenny Klingler said staff were reluctant to strike but negotiations had gone on for more than a year with "no signs of coming to an end".

Student Omar Hassan, who protested with the teachers, said well paid staff with tenure provided a "better quality of education".

A Monash University spokesman said all campuses were open during the strike and there was a minimal impact on teaching activities.

He said the university remained optimistic that negotiations could be resolved.