Australian staff ‘underpaid by more than A$83 million’

Australian universities have underpaid their staff by at least A$83 million (£48 million) since 2020, according to an analysis by the academic union.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) says the real figure is “almost certainly higher”, with several cases unresolved.

NTEU president Alison Barnes said the report proved that “systemic wage theft” had been “baked” into universities’ business models. “Our public universities are being run like greedy corporations with no respect for paying hard-working staff what they’re owed.

“We need fresh root and branch inquiries into rotten university governance. Something is drastically wrong. Let’s get to the bottom of it and fix it.”

The NTEU report says staff have been short-changed in more than 30 “separate incidents” across 19 universities, with the tally at each institution ranging between A$17,000 and A$32 million. The analysis does not include three ongoing cases thought to involve at least A$6 million more.

The report accuses universities of “sham contracting” to undercut award and agreement entitlements. It says unpaid overtime is common at universities that pay “piece rates” based on unrealistic timeframes for marking, while teaching is often misclassified as lower-paid work.

It says casual staff risk reprisal if they complain. “Many workers are reluctant to…ask for compensation for hours worked for free [because] they require contract renewals every teaching period.”

Dr Barnes said “rampant” casualisation lay at the heart of the issue. “More secure jobs will help stop the scourge.”

The NTEU wants the federal government to act on its pre-election pledge to criminalise “wage theft” at a national level. “Strong penalties including jail for the worst offending is needed to deter this shameful practice,” the report says.

It also advocates state and federal parliamentary inquiries into university governance, and calls for the government to implement recommendations from the Senate Select Committee on Job Security.

They include withholding public funding from universities with too many casual staff, obliging universities to disclose more employment data, and legislating the right for casual and fixed-term university staff to obtain permanent positions.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com