Community Public Sector Union (CPSU) members of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) launched a "Love Our Leave Campaign" to build support for a strong enterprise agreement.
The CPSU said protecting and improving leave entitlements was a top priority for general staff at the university.
The campaign will include a video petition, which features staff explaining why they "love their leave". The CPSU is campaigning for extra leave at Christmas. A "One Thousand Christmas Cards Petition" will be delivered by a CPSU Santa Claus to UNSW management.
The union wants extra leave for staff and an increase in the accessibility and types of leave. It also wants staff to be fully paid for any leave during university shutdown periods and seeks to strengthen protection of annual leave provisions.
CPSU-UNSW campaign coordinator Adrianne Harris said: "Our love our leave campaign will help UNSW general staff demonstrate support for improved leave and protection of leave entitlements, which the university will find hard to ignore.
"We are drawing on inspiration from the past to find innovation for the present, and remembering that industrial action is always available as a last resort."