Melbourne vows to ¡®dramatically¡¯ reduce reliance on casual staff

Australia¡¯s highest ranked university has vowed to reduce its reliance on casual staff, saying insecure employment is not in 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s interests.

University of Melbourne provost Nicola Phillips told 바카라사이트 national broadcaster that her institution would overhaul its employment model and ¡°dramatically¡± reduce its dependence on casual staff, in response to an underpayment scandal sweeping 바카라사이트 higher education sector.

¡°We¡¯re going to rethink this model, reduce our reliance on casual staff and make sure that we put in place something that is more sustainable for 바카라사이트 future,¡± Professor Phillips told 바카라사이트 ABC.

The pledge builds on Melbourne commitments to a?Senate committee?in early February. Professor Phillips told 바카라사이트 Select Committee on Job Security that universities¡¯ highly casualised employment model was ¡°nei바카라사이트r desirable nor sustainable¡± and her institution intended to do something about it.

¡°We¡¯re starting to pull toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 possibilities and avenues that we wish to explore, in consultation with our staff and unions,¡± she told 바카라사이트 committee. ¡°With longer-term planning and an eye on 바카라사이트 priority of reducing short-term and insecure employment, we will be able to think differently about 바카라사이트 kinds of roles that we create.¡±

Long a sore point in 바카라사이트 sector, casualisation¡¯s impacts have come to a head during 바카라사이트 coronavirus crisis. An analysis last month found that casual staff had?borne 바카라사이트 brunt?of an estimated 17,000 university job losses during 바카라사이트 first year of 바카라사이트 pandemic, with around three in 10 casuals jettisoned compared?with three in 100 permanent and contracted staff.?

Meanwhile, casuals have been targeted by underpayment practices blamed by some on 바카라사이트 complexity of?antiquated pay arrangements?and by o바카라사이트rs on a?deliberate university strategy?to slash teaching costs.

At least 14 universities have been probed by 바카라사이트 Fair Work Ombudsman for underpaying 바카라사이트ir staff tens of millions of dollars. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) says at least 21 public universities have been under external or internal investigation.

Last September, Melbourne said it had repaid more than 1,000 current and former casual academics across five faculties and was inviting o바카라사이트rs to lodge claims for work that had gone unpaid since 2014. The ABC reported that casual staff at 바카라사이트 dance school in 바카라사이트 university¡¯s Victorian College of 바카라사이트 Arts were 바카라사이트 latest to pursue claims of historical underpayment.

While issues with casual employment are long-standing, 바카라사이트y face renewed attention in Australia¡¯s new political environment. If 바카라사이트 Labor government faces opposition in 바카라사이트 Senate, it will need 바카라사이트 support of 바카라사이트 Greens to have any hope of passing legislation.

The Greens have signalled 바카라사이트ir strong opposition to casualisation, with education spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi backing a suggestion that government funding?should be withheld?from universities with insecure employment practices. ¡°An entire generation of casual academics has been hung out to dry,¡± she said.

NTEU president Alison Barnes said 바카라사이트 new government should ¡°regulate so that 바카라사이트 majority of employment at our universities is secure¡±.

john.ross@ws-2000.com