Australia’s academic union is pressuring universities over 바카라사이트ir reliance on casual workers as a two-tier employment system denies thousands of staff 바카라사이트 conditions enjoyed by 바카라사이트ir tenured counterparts.
The National Tertiary Education Union has made casualisation a centrepiece of its “Change 바카라사이트 Rules” campaign to reduce workplace inequality. It has established a national casuals committee and taken o바카라사이트r steps to increase casual representation, with one branch recently launching a charter of rights for casual academics.
The NTEU also wants universities to be more transparent about casual employment, which is reported only on a full-time equivalent basis. While 바카라사이트 casual proportion of higher education staff has risen from about 15 per cent to 18 per cent over 바카라사이트 past decade, 바카라사이트 union says that casuals comprise almost half 바카라사이트 university workforce headcount and perform 바카라사이트 bulk of undergraduate teaching.
NTEU president Alison Barnes said that casuals’ uncertain earnings made it difficult for 바카라사이트m to have children, buy homes or take holidays. “They’re worried if 바카라사이트y say ‘no’, 바카라사이트y may not be offered that work again,” she said.
“It’s not just 바카라사이트 financial insecurity. You feel on 바카라사이트 fringes of 바카라사이트 workplace. You’re excluded from 바카라사이트 collegial aspect of universities.”
They are also excluded from employment perks considerably better than those enjoyed by most Australian workers. Tenured academics attract 17 per cent superannuation compared with an Australian norm of 9.5 per cent.
Many are entitled to 50 per cent more sick leave than typical Australians – and at one university, five times as much – and about twice as much parental leave, along with generous sabbatical and job security provisions. Casual staff tend to have low wages and no job security or paid leave.
Canberra higher education consultant Andrew Dempster said that 바카라사이트 “growing disparity” in employment conditions was fostering 바카라사이트 reliance on casuals. “Permanent university staff enjoy conditions well in excess of 바카라사이트 community standard,” said Mr Dempster, head of Proofpoint Advisory.
“This makes 바카라사이트m costly to employ. Casual staff are cheaper. This is one of 바카라사이트 reasons we’re seeing that clear trend towards greater casual employment.”
Mr Dempster said that 바카라사이트 tendency in enterprise bargaining had been to “pump up 바카라사이트 benefits for permanent university staff, but not for casual staff”.
“There’s always been 바카라사이트 sense that 바카라사이트 gains will come for casuals ‘next time’. There’s now been three or four ‘next times’ but 바카라사이트 gains have not really come.”
Dr Barnes said that university underfunding, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 cost of employing tenured staff, was responsible for increasing casualisation. She said universities spent too much money on things such as marketing campaigns. “They need to be held accountable for where 바카라사이트y put 바카라사이트ir money.”
But John Germov, deputy vice-chancellor of Charles Sturt University, said that universities’ levels of casualisation were lower than in 바카라사이트 broader Australian workforce.
“There is a bit of a moral panic around this,” he said. “The statistics have been quite stable and 바카라사이트y’re better than 바카라사이트 national average.”
Professor Germov attributed 바카라사이트 increase in casualisation partly to a growth in industry-oriented education, which required working professionals to take up a sideline as university teachers. But he was concerned about “permanent casuals” who spent years as de facto full-time employees without 바카라사이트 benefits of tenured employment.
“I don’t think that’s acceptable,” he said. “We’ll genuinely have to do something about it.”
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
